The YouTube War
by Chillediplier
Summary: A cyber war has broken out on YouTube. Many have tried to fight, all have failed. What happens when a fan of many gaming channels rallies up an army of absolute goofballs? Who is the mastermind behind the cyber war? Only one way to find out...
1. Chapter 1

**AN: Gonna start a little goofy at the first two chapters of this, but it does get pretty serious. I've just had a constant idea of my favorite YouTubers decking it out in an epic war setting, and this was the best way I could think of them all getting together in one arena-like place.**

All I ever want to do is curl up after a long day of work and watch my favorite YouTubers. To catch up on what I missed from the hours spent dealing with irritating people. I had always hoped to joint the ranks of those I loved to watch the most. But so far, my channel is barely at two thousand subscribers. Not bad for someone without much of the hardware to make quality videos like the pros. But with my recent lack of consistent uploads due to my job, I'm surprised I still have that many now. Well, whatever, as long as I can always watch my favorite channels, I really don't mind if any sort of fan base comes from my content.

The day was long. Nearly from morning to night, I had to work. When I finally returned home, feet aching and head throbbing, I fell forward onto my bed, plugged in my phone and turned on one of my top channels to watch. Markiplier. Oh, how his voice can soothe a headache in an instant. If I could ever meet him in a convention, I would just...

Never mind that thought, all I want to do is relax. Snuggle up in my blankets, my cat at the foot of the bed softly purring, looking quite content with herself. I sighed and took the position I normally would to sleep, fisted hands over my chest and knees bent up to my stomach. The fetal position was the one way I could rest comfortably with my bad back. Thank you, genetics.

I allowed myself to listen to his playlist of Octodad: Dadliest Catch, the first series I had ever watched from him. The humor is probably best shown through this series, and in moments, I was relaxed. But not so much falling asleep, at least not as well as I would. In my bedroom, there were not many lights, any light source would easily keep me awake, even if it was just moonlight through the window. It usually takes a while for me to fall asleep, but once I do, I'm out for the count for ten hours. And listening to these wonderful dorks game is just what I need.

I felt myself start to fade right around the start of the second episode, when it was interrupted by something, well, warm in my hands. Thinking it was just humidity, I let my fists relax, only to be engulfed by a much hotter feeling. Opening my eyes, there was...a light. Almost like an aura on fire, taking me over. A bright white and red light, that was beyond explanation. I tried backing away from it, only to realize it had been coming from my own hands. Flailing and rubbing didn't help to get it away, and within moments, I was overtaken by it.

After a chocking few seconds in the heat, cold came over me next. It felt like I was hovering, as a voice began to speak.

"Amalia. You can hear me, yes?" it asked, clearly referring to me.

"Wh-...Yeah, but...what happened?"

"You've been summoned here for a reason. An army is needed."

"...What?!"

"You heard correctly," the voice said, as a bright screen appeared in front of me. "Many have been summoned before you. All have failed. A terrible cyber war is raging, and we need a strong army to fight against it."

As the voice spoke, the screen flashed to several scenes of complete chaos that, normally, was reserved for real life combat. How could things like this happen over the internet? Aside from in games, of course.

"You are wondering how this is all possible? It started with one man on YouTube who, while loved by many, one day sought out to be the conqueror of all things viral. It's as if he had just snapped and began wiping out all channels who had tried to defy him. That is why we, the Walls, have began a search. Seek out help from the fans with a true aspiration and knowledge as to what this website is truly about. This war has been going on for too long, as we are running out of options."

"Oh, great, that gives me confidence, seeing how I'm apparently barrel scrappings for you guys." I sighed, shaking my head. "This is just a surreal dream...well, what do I do?" I asked, deciding that, since this was just a dream, to go along for the ride, thinking it was probably going to be pretty fun.

"Choose from your subscription list," the voice, which was starting to sound more and more familiar as it spoke on, while the screen of my YouTube sub box flashed before me. "You can bring five allies with you. They will be your Wall."

"Yeah, ok, and what's up with that name?"

"We came up with it to represent the need to block out the foe, like a firewall. Get it?"

I rolled my eyes and got closer to the screen, finding one in particular right away that I could use on my side.

"Ok, I'll start with him. Markiplier."

"A fine choice, he fights well," the voice said. "However, this war wipes the memories of the warriors who fought in them, so he would need to start from the beginning once again. Do you still wish to chose him?"

I bit my lip at this fact, but nodded. This was a dream after all, hell yeah I'm gonna have Markiplier fight with me!

"Alright, he will be sent to the Summoning Hold. Choose four more, and you can meet up with them there."

"Ok, that's convenient," I said as I skimmed through my list, trying to find another favorite of mine. But after three checks, I couldn't find who I wanted at all on my list.

"Why isn't-"

"I'm sorry. Some channels are not permitted to enter the Summoning Hold, as is dictated by the starter of this war. It's something we must abide."

Something about the way the voice said that made me uneasy, but hey, dreams never really had rules that made sense. I looked through my list again, and found another favorite, however, it was a group. "So, what about channels with more than one person running it?"

"You may choose as many members from it as you wish, just remember, you can only take five all together."

"Ok, then...from this one, Achievement Hunter," I said, pointing to the green on black star. "I want...Michael Jones and Gavin Free," the two of them always being my favorite.

"Noted, and done. Two more to go, who will they be?"

"Let's see..." I thought, searching my list. I didn't think that bringing someone with fewer subscribers, like friends and those just starting out like myself, would be a good option. But I wanted to have a team that would work well together, a team that knew one another from personal experience. Then, I realized who my last two needed to be.

"The Game Grumps. Danny Avidan and Arin Hanson."

"Nice, a good, strong team. I'm surprised, normally, people would immediately go for someone like, say, Pewdiepie, seeing how popular he is."

"I _was_ a fan, but, I feel like this team can work together a lot better. Besides, if I had one member that I couldn't get, it would've been much harder to chose, and I probably would have gone with someone else."

"Oh? Who did you want to chose that you could not?"

"Ah, he's...not quite up to the subscriber count of any of these guys yet, but he's on his way. He's ChilledChaos? Have you heard of him?"

"I believe you should get to the Summoning Hold. Time is short."

"Wh-?!"

The voice, or whatever it was, interrupted me with the bright light emitting from my hands once again, this time, to a more blueish hue. Before I could fight it, I was teleported away from where I had been hovering in darkness in front of a screen, to a round room with a blue, illuminated floor. However, I had teleported in just a few dozen feet above the aforementioned floor, and plummeted without the ability to hover anymore. Upon impact, I groaned and rubbed my head.

"I thought you weren't supposed to feel pain in a dream." I muttered.

"Yeah, that's what I thought, too."

"Wait, are you in my dream?"

"How can we all be dreaming this at once? Did our brains all connect?"

"What the fuck is going on?"

"Real talk, this is freakin' me out..."

The voices, all around me, spoke out in the order I had apparently summoned them in. Markiplier, Michael, Gavin, Danny and Arin.

They were all here.

They were all surrounding me...

Best. Dream. Ever!


	2. Chapter 2

"Ok, we can't all be dreaming each other, right?" Mark began to ask as I stood up, standing away from them as they spoke.

"Not unless one of us is dreaming this up," Gavin continued, clearly trying to wrap his brain around it as well. I sighed a bit, not wanting to interject or interrupt them.

"But, in a dream, aren't you only supposed to see faces you've already seen before?" Danny asked, finally looking over to me. "I don't remember her at all."

At which point, they each proceeded to turn to me, going quiet for a while, until Mark spoke out again, walking for me.

"I dunno, maybe we saw her at a convention one time. RTX, maybe," he said while gesturing to Gavin and Michael.

"Yeah, you don't have to _know_ the person to dream of their face," Michael continued. "Just seeing them once is good enough."

"Or, maybe we're all inside of _her_ dream, and aren't even ourselves right now-"

"Ok, enough dream talk!" I shouted, interrupting Arin's thought, but finally getting fed up with too many questions and zero answers. "If we're all in a dream, fine, but something is going on in this dream that I want to know what! There's a war going on, and we need to fight in it, otherwise, this is the most boring dream I've ever had!"

"Well, jeez, sorry, but we're just as confused as you are," Arin muttered, clearly irritated at being interrupted.

"What do you mean, 'a war'?" Danny asked.

"...Ok, apparently, one YouTuber just kind of went mental. He's trying to take over all of cyberspace, and for some reason, these guys called The Walls are trying to recruit a bunch of armies made up of YouTubers. And, there have been a lot of failures, so, now it's my turn I guess."

"So, are we...your army?" Gavin asked, looking around to the others. "Wouldn't you need more?"

"Well, I could use more, but the weird voice only allowed me to have five. One of which, I couldn't even pick for some reason."

"So, one of us is your sloppy seconds, huh?" Michael smirked, crossing his arms and looking to Gavin. "I think you're her replacement choice, Gavin, what a shame."

"No, it's not like that," I said, feeling foolish for showing favoritism. "I like all you guys, if anything, I couldn't have found a better group. But..."

"But, something's missing, right?" Mark asked, stepping up to me.

"There's still a lot they're not telling me, whoever it was that brought me here..."

"Oh, do you miss me already?"

The voice spoke out in the center of all of us. We stood back from it as it appeared as a human shape, clad with brilliant armor, wielding a sword and shield. However, as it remained a dark silhouette, none of us could see its face.

"Nice to see you all together again."

"Again? What do you mean again?" Mark asked, stepping up to the figure.

"Oh, this selection has fought and lost three times already, though I doubt any of you remember it. And one of you always falls so tragically, I wonder if it'll happen again."

We each went a collective shade of white as it spoke, Danny being the first one to say anything.

"Sorry, but, who exactly are you?"

"I am the Wall Riser. The one who helped your Captain to summon you all."

"Capt- Oh, no, wait," I stepped in. "I'm in no way fit to be a Captain, especially when none of us know how to fight!"

"Well, one cannot fight without proper weaponry, hence why I'm here for you now." As it spoke, a screen hovered just above its head. "Your weapons...are very special to each of you. They represent you. They will be there for you no matter what. Much like something else you all have." Soon after it finished speaking, a number appeared on screen as it turned to Mark, his eyes widening.

"...Fans." he said softly.

"Your weapons are only as strong as your fanbase is. That's how it works in this world~"

The figure vanished once again, as Mark was soon clad in sturdy chainmail armor with a narrow sword and medium sized shield. The screen continued to turn, showing the YouTubers their subscriber count, as they soon gained armor and weapons for their own. Michael received a diamond short sword and a thick hide of leather and bear fur armor, Gavin, two gauntlets that specialized in slow motion with a cyber green suit and thick Creeper scarf around his neck, Danny, a mace and a voice amplification choker with a blue metal chest plate, and Arin, a laser gun and tactical armor.

The screen finally made its way to me, and to be honest, I wasn't expecting anything. But when it showed my sub count, I was soon holding a small dagger and wooden shield, with some thin metal armor on top of my clothes. Honestly, a lot better than nothing, but something about the dagger was peculiar, which was the same about all their weapons. They seemed to emit a soft, fire-like aura, that only got bigger with the bigger channels, Mark's being the biggest.

"This...is the power of what our fans can do..." he said, a soft smile across his face, a tear slowly streaming his cheek. "I knew they were strong, I just had no idea they could do _this_..."

"We're gonna need them to be to get through this..." I responded, looking to my weapons in comparison. I felt uneasy, thinking that, if I had to fight, I wouldn't last nearly as long as any of these guys. Why was I chosen to be the Captain, just because I brought them all here? If any case, I'm just a recruiter. Mark definitely seemed more Captain material. I turned to speak to him, until something caught the corner of my vision.

I looked over to see Michael, very slowly, swinging his sword down towards Gavin's head, as he remained crouched, laughing, a hand above his head. The gauntlet on his hand was emitting a green, slow motion energy that kept Michael at bay, long enough for Gavin to casually step to the side and fall forward in full speed, his sword clanging against the ground. Meanwhile, Danny was standing away from Arin as he aimed his laser gun at him, firing two shots. I was about to shout at him to stop, until Danny had the same idea, but instead of shouting 'stop', he bellowed out a delightful G chord, the choker reverberating it into a shield in front of him in the form of a bright red, six pointed star. I sighed in relief as it absorbed the laser shots and looked back to Mark, who was watching the crew as well, laughing at the sight.

"Heh, ok, guys, we all need to get used to these weapons now, so, let's see if we can start training with them. We're gonna need as much experience as we can if we even hope on succeeding as a team." I said over them as well as I could, as they stopped and started back for me.

"A 'team'? Don't you mean an 'army'?" Gavin asked as I shook my head.

"I feel like team has a more...family-like feel to it, where as 'army' feels like a job. And, isn't that what we strive for, to have more than just a fanbase on this site, but a family?"

"I couldn't agree more," Danny said, looking around to the others. "The number doesn't matter, it's the people behind it. And even if we're only six, together, we can do anything."

"When did you become the philosophical one, Dan?" Arin laughed, stepping up behind him. "But yeah, I'm with you on this, whoever's causing this war is gonna be in a whole lot of hurt after we get through with 'im."

"Just don't do anything stupid, _Gavin_," Michael said, looking pointedly to him.

"Oi, I won't! I got these awesome slow-mo hands now! I've wanted them since X-Ray and Vav!"

"So, we all in?" Mark asked, looking around to the group, then back to me. "Your orders, Captain."

I was about to tell him to take over, I really was, but at this point, it seemed like he had confidence in me. They all did. And hell, this was all a dream, right? Why not have some time leading some of my favorite YouTubers?

"Ok. Let's start training!"


	3. Chapter 3

Training began between the six of us, the two pairs of Michael and Gavin, and Arin and Dan, seeming to stick with their respective partner, leaving Mark and I to linger, only Mark joining in with the Grumps in due time. I looked once again to the weapons I received, feeling insignificant in view of the stronger weapons the obviously bigger channels had. As they fought, I sat off to the side, watching their strategies develop.

"So...this whole thing is just because someone got jealous of their low subscriber count?" I asked to no one in particular. "Shouldn't the fact they have subscribers at all be enough? This doesn't feel right..."

I continued to watch over the others, smiling a bit. Here, right in front of me, is a group of some of my favorite channels of all time. And I was meant to guide them through this. Wherever this dream was going, it was at least going to be fun. And possibly dangerous. But mostly fun.

"So, you gonna join us, or what?" Michael called out to me, making me lose my train of thought.

"Y-Yeah, well...what exactly can I do with just this?" I asked, holding up my dagger as I stood.

"Well, let's see, then," Gavin started, heading over for me. "Try to stab me."

"Wait, what?" I asked, stopping my approach. "Stab you?"

"Slow-mo hands, remember?" Gavin said, holding his hands up reassuringly. "Let's just see how fast you are."

"O-Ok..." I muttered, before taking a stance, readying the dagger comfortably in my hand, before dashing up and attempting to aim it into Gavin's chest. It was then that I experienced what his hands were capable of, innuendo unintended. As he used the slow-mo on me, it didn't seem like everything slowed down, it was more like everything but myself sped up. Gavin swiftly stepped to the side as I was soon on the ground. He chuckled a bit and held down his hand.

"Not bad, but not good either. Your form's a li'l off. Want to try again?"

"N-No, it's fine," I said, taking his hand and standing up. "Though, it seems pretty clear that all of you are quite capable without needing a Captain, at least not one as weak as myself."

"You're just getting started, and so are the rest of us," Michael interjected. "None of us expected this morning that we'd be fighting a war today."

"But, all of this isn't even real, right? It's still just a collective dream...right?" I asked, my question getting the attention of the other three.

"Look, if this was just a dream, then none of us would be conscious to think like ourselves," Dan said, looking to Mark. "Right?"

"Sort of, I guess?" Mark half-answered. "But if it was just her dream, then she would be the one planning what we're all going to say and do."

"And wouldn't you be the most powerful if it was just your dream?" Arin asked.

"None of you have met me in real life." I said with a sad chuckle.

"So, then, if this is your dream, make the most of it," Gavin said with a smile. "And we'll be there to help you every step of the way."

"Let's just make sure no one gets bruised up too bad. I have things I have to get done soon, things that require my face to not be impaled by other channels if you don't mind." Michael said sarcastically, trying to lighten the mood further.

Personally, I couldn't ask for a better team of fighters. These guys were some of the most supportive to their fans. I was about to thank them each, before suddenly, grayness. I looked around briefly, before noticing what had happened.

"Get me out! Get me out of here!"

I heard shouting. It sounded desperate. It also sounded very familiar, as did where I was now. A small room, with only a bed, a window, and a barred door with a slot at the bottom of it. I knew what this was, and I soon realized who the voice screaming was. I hurried for the bars at the door, trying to call out to it.

"Mark! Mark, are you ok?!"

"Is there anyone out there?! Can anyone hear me?!"

No use, he couldn't hear me. This room, it got to him so badly not long ago. I tried banging at the door, trying to make any sort of noise, before I felt something hit my feet. A letter. Knowing this place, I was reluctant to read it, until I saw the front of the envelope. It had the red M emblem of Mario, a distinctive logo for the missing member of my team. The one person I wanted in this world more than anything. My heart raced as I opened it, and my worst suspicions were proven true.

"_Your friend is Locked away, and the rest of them Followed suit. Find them. Free them. Find me, if you think you're Ready. -ChilledChaos"_


	4. Chapter 4

There was nothing to get me out, nor anything to get my fellow prisoner to hear me, to reassure him. To let him know he wasn't alone. And now, my biggest worry was right. ChilledChaos, my all time favorite channel and YouTube personality, was the one who was causing all this. My heart sank as I sat on the bed, rereading the letter once again. It was in his writing style of random capitalization, his signature and his emblem, all evidence that it was his creation. I had barely started training up my team, and now we were separated, in the face of the foe, one of which I would never have wanted to fight.

"This is insane..." I muttered, looking around the tiny cell. "How am I supposed to get out of here?"

"Hello? Anyone?" Mark continued to cry out, voice getting more desperate.

Another envelope slipped under the door, a similar emblem on the front of it. I stood and picked it up, opening it to read what the new message was.

_"Your army is the weakest Yet. I've fought them all before many times, you're not even gonna Make it out of this cell."_

I crumpled up the note and tossed it. Normally, I would have relished in the thought of receiving a letter of any sort from him, but right now, I was too scared to care. Is this how my dream was meant to end? Being locked away?

It was then that I realized, wait, this _is _a dream, right? Should I just be able to get out of here with a little improvisation? Standing and backing into the opposite wall to the door, I ran for it, throwing my weight against the door, before bouncing back painfully onto the foot of the bed. I groaned and rubbed my now sore shoulder, before feeling my heart drop. I experienced pain. This...

This wasn't a dream.

A new letter arrived, now with a different envelope and emblem. Light blue, with a green and blue eye in the center. I recognized it, but was hopeful that perhaps, they were a friend.

"Dearest new Wall Builder. I regret to inform you that you've been split from your army. Each member is in a challenge that is unique to who they are, and what they fear the most. Your challenge, to prove that you're worthy of leading them, is to help them each to get through it. Clearly, your first challenge is to help poor Markiplier out of one of his most heart string tugging experiences, Presentable Liberty. You have until nightfall to get the both of you out. Good luck, you'll need it. -Jack"

Hopes being cast, I now learned that Chilled was not working alone. Now, another YouTuber, more commonly known to be Jackspeticeye, was opposing us alongside him. I looked to the one item I had overlooked before, the swiftly ticking clock on the wall, and saw it was already two o'clock, already nearing the end of the day. I wondered if more letters would arrive to inform me of what to do, but seeing as I had only gotten the three, all from our adversaries, I figured I was in it alone. I heard pounding, banging, must have been from Mark trying to clatter some noise at the door to get anyone's attention. What was I supposed to do?

I remembered the game, Presentable Liberty. It was a waiting game more or less. If I would get a letter from a character named Salvatore, I could use the table he sent piece by piece to try and break myself out. But that was over the course of the days in the game. I didn't have nearly as much time. In fact, now, it was already three. Each minute was a second, so I really only had a few minutes at most to get us out.

I looked behind me. A window. Too small to crawl out of, even if it wasn't too thick to break. Getting out in the game meant waiting for said friend, Salvatore, to break in and disable the electricity holding the door shut.

A thought passed my mind. I still had my dagger and thin armor on my person. If I could cause an electrical malfunction somehow, it could open the door, and all other doors in theory, letting Mark out as well. There was no time to lose. One more feature was in the game that I had forgotten to spot, wires, hanging just next to the door, meant for elevator buttons to allow you to escape the game. I removed the armor from around my chest and sat at my bed, severing away the shoulder plate that was connected by cloth with my dagger. Once it was removed, I brought it to the wires, and not necessarily caring about the electrical backlash it would cause, I held both wires against the metal plate. Some zaps, a lot of pain, and a bright red light later, the door cracked ajar. My hand was bleeding from the shock, but I didn't care. One last letter slid under the now open door, but unlike the game, it had a deliveryman. I tried to see who it was, but they had ran by too fast. And quickly approaching soon after was Mark, now freed from his literal prison. I picked up the letter with my wounded hand and looked to him, as he was clearly shaken.

"Thank you...Thank you!" he muttered in gasps as he pulled me into an embrace, one I was not prepared for. "I thought I'd never get out of there..."

"Me neither, but...we're not out of the woods yet. And now I know who's causing this. Well, two people at least."

"Really? Who?"

"One I hoped wasn't at all involved in this. ChilledChaos..." I said, as he looked to me with concern when I turned to get the intact letter on the bed. "And, the other is a friend of yours..." I said, handing him the letter, showing the emblem on the front.

"Oh, fuck...Jack?! Why? Why is he in on this?"

"I don't know, but we need to get the others now..."

"Right, right...where are they?"

I winced, feeling the pain in my hand once more, before looking to it, still holding the letter, now getting bloodied. The emblem was muddled, but looked like it could be a crown of some sort, though one of the points looked broken. I opened it and began to read it's contents, before looking around...to a new location. It was dark, cold, and quiet. The little light my eyes adjusted to showed that I was in the middle of a thick forest. Worse yet, there was no sign of Mark to be found. And the letter that was in my hand was...now on a tree in front of me. I could still barely see it, but the note was clear.

"Find him," was all it said, in scratchy handwriting. With an image of a broken crown in the corner.

A broken crown. I knew that image better than anything. It was clear who else was behind this now. And I knew who I had to find.

The Mad King strikes again. And now, Gavin fell to his might.


	5. Chapter 5

Searching around me, there was no doubt. This challenge would be a tough one. It was terrifyingly dark and getting colder, with not a light or sound to hint at what direction the newest victim, Gavin, could be. For all I could tell, it was just a mess of trees surrounding me. No Mark. No flashlight. Just me, the woods, and the one message left over by Ryan.

"Find him."

Ok, sure, I'd love to find him right now, but just how was I supposed to do that? Searching would be a good start, though where? Starting to walk through the woods, the dead leaves crackling with each step, I couldn't tell if I was walking in a straight line or circles. If Mark was still with me, I could have at least had someone to help coordinate direction, or in a more idiotic decision, split up with to cover more ground.

The thick woods, the rustling leaves, the terrifying atmosphere, and the scratchy note. It was clear that this stage, and Gavin and my challenge, was from Slender. A game he was famous for freaking out about. But he played it with Michael long ago. Would that mean Michael would be with him? If that was the case, why did the note only specify one?

My eyes adjusted a little more, as the trees gave way now to an empty pick-up truck. A note was attached to the passenger side door.

"He's weak," was all it read, with a broken crown once again on the corner. Ok, second note out of the game's supposed eight found, but this one concerned me. Has he been injured, or is he cowering away somewhere? I checked inside the truck and in the back, no sign of him. Listening carefully and standing still, no sounds. Except for a distant hum, one that made me grow worried.

"...Gavin?!" I decided to try and call out. "Gavin, if you can hear me, call out!"

Possibly a stupid idea for me to do, as the hum grew louder, and was getting closer. I backed from the truck and turn to run, still in near pitch darkness. I dodged a few trees and came up to a cement wall, looking behind me and finding the hum had died down. Sighing with relief, I moved my still bloodied hand along the wall, both in search of a new note and to leave a mark to remind me that I had been here. Turning a corner, I found the third one.

"Look at the face," signed with a broken crown. Hell no, I'm not looking at its face. Ryan really wants to keep us trapped here for some reason. The note also allowed for the hum to start up again, but I quickly turned away and hurried into the abandoned unit, finding a flashlight, at last, inside on a wooden chair. Turning it on, I scanned the walls, spotting yet another note, with a broken crown. "He's weeping."

I have to find him, and now, I can actually search properly. Stepping back out, once the sound died out again, I used the flashlight to scan the woods. Woods, woods and more woods. There was nothing but trees, dead leaves, a tall lingering figure, a few bushes, and...

A tall lingering figure.

I ran until even my hips ached, even though it seemed that as far as I would run, the sound of its approach didn't end. Falling from exhaustion, I knew I had lost. My vision began to blur, and even static covered my sight. I turned to my attacker, shining my flashlight on it, looking to its white head. The eyeless smoothness, missing mouth, protruding...

"G-Gavin?"

Gasping noises escaped through somewhere, as the Slenderman fell to its knees. The white of the face flaked away, leaving naturally light, though fright touched pale skin remained. Lips separated in a fearful gape, eyes wide with terror, hair sprouting atop past baldness. He took a moment to catch his breath, as the black suit that seemed to adhere to him slid off, revealing his original, cyber green suit and scarved neck. I scrambled up to him and held him close, relieved greatly to have found him. He returned the sentiment, apparently pleased to be released from his Slenderman mimicry.

"I'm sorry...I...couldn't control it..."

"It's alright," I reassured him, the both of us panting from exhaustion. "You're ok now...Ryan was behind this..."

"Wh- Ryan? Why?" He asked, pulling away from me. "How do you know?"

"I found notes all over the place, all signed with a broken crown...and I figured, since Mark's adversary was a friend of his, it only made sense..." I looked back to him, standing up slowly. "Was Michael with you?"

"Oh, god, Michael!" Gavin sprang up in a sudden panic, looking around. "He was right next to me when we got attacked, h-he tried to fight it off, but it got me, and..."

"Ok, ok, we'll find him," I said, trying to calm him down. "We'll find all of them again, ok?" I handed off the flashlight to him, as he took it with a shaking hand. "It's gonna be alright...this'll all be over soon..."

"A-Alright..." he responded, trying to calm his nerves, as we both started out of the woods. "By the way, how could you tell it was even me? I could've killed you back there..."

"Heh, well," I chuckled, looking back to him. "Slender's takeover on you apparently couldn't change everything about your face," I said with a smirk, tapping my nose with my finger to better get my point across.

"Ah," he laughed as well, finally starting to relax a bit more. "Wait, was that supposed to be a joke?"

"If it didn't just save both our lives, I'd say yes."

Making our way out of the woods at last, Gavin stopped, prompting me to stop as well.

"Do you hear that?" he asked, shining the flashlight around. I listened carefully, and could faintly hear what he had meant.

"GodDAMMIT! Fucking little prick!"

"Mi-coo! My boy!" Gavin shouted, hurrying in the direction of the shouting, me following quickly. We crossed an empty street and made our way to a large building, the screaming getting louder, especially from the inside.

"Gavin, wait!" I stopped, calling back to him.

"What?! He's in there, we have to get him out!"

"Gavin...look what 'there' is..."

He looked to me oddly for a second, before looking back up to the building. He shined the flashlight onto it, and from behind, I could see his neck go pale once more. If I hadn't known better, he was about to become the Slenderman again from how pale he was. But only one other thing could make him change color so drastically.

The writing on the building.

"Freddy Fazbear's Pizza".


	6. Chapter 6

"Mother fucker!"

The shouting echoed as we stepped up to the entrance of the pizzaria. Gavin's hand grew noticeably shakier as the light from the flashlight would suggest. He looked back to me, unsure of what to do.

"Might as well go in," I said after a moment of concerned silence. "What's the worst that could happen? Michael is in there, anyway..."

"Yeah, and so is a herd of murderous robot animals..." Gavin said in response, fearfully reaching to open the door.

"We'll get through this. We just need to stay strong..."

He swallowed hard and opened the door, allowing us both to step in. Inside was a nearly pitch black room, the flashlight allowing us to see the interior just barely. A large stage out-looking tables decorated with party hats. Walls lined with streamers and posters. Confetti lain on the floor. Otherwise, it was darkness and emptiness. Well, near emptiness.

"Where are you, you fuck?!"

Yep, Michael was definitely in here, and Gavin's fear became anxiety as he searched the room, looking around for him.

"Michael?!" he called out for him. "It's Gavin, I...I'm all better now, where are you?"

As he searched for the flashlight, a slightly folded piece of paper on one of the tables caught my eye. I paused him and pointed to it, stepping over and picking it up, holding it to the flashlight to read it better. The text was not scratchy, as if it was left over from Gavin's Slenderman challenge, but it was still signed off with a broken crown. Ryan.

"It's Us."

Sticking with the motif of mimicking the games in the challenges, the note was close to the 'It's Me' messages from the first Five Nights game. Gavin looked around the room once again, as I paused, looking up from the note, as the light skimmed back and forth, hitting the stage a few times.

"Uh...Gav?" I asked, focusing to the stage. "The stage...it's empty."

"Yeah, and?" he asked, flashlight stopping on the stage.

"Well, the game usually starts with three of them on stage, right?"

"...Right."

Almost on cue, what sounded like a door slamming shut echoed from behind the stage. We both jumped and looked over, finding a passageway from behind stage right. Neither of us wanted to pursue, especially now with the worry of wandering animatronics, but it would also more than likely lead us to Michael. I started for it, dagger in hand, Gavin in toe, though unsure of what either of us would do if encountering one. Maybe Gavin could slow it down as I cut the wires? That would mean we would have to be quick on it, but knowing the game, that could be difficult.

"We might be able to distract them with the flashlight. This looks like it's from the first game, so if the eye circuits are like Foxy's, they should stop from attacking."

"Hopefully, that is," Gavin responded, distress clear on his voice. "I just want to find Michael..."

"And we will." I said, trying to calm him down.

The light remained shaky as we continued down the hall, Gavin still scared of the whole thing. Eventually, we found the security room, door firmly shut, lights inside flickering. The power was clearly being drained. And Michael was...

Not inside.

"Wh- Michael?" Gavin peered in the room, knocking on the window. "Mi-coo?!"

"Where is he? Is he in the corner at all?" I asked, as Gavin shined the flashlight all around.

"No, he's not in there..." Gavin said, becoming more physically shaken.

"Fuck you, Freddy!"

We heard Michael call out again. He was definitely inside the building. But where?

We searched through the halls, in the cafeteria, in the bathrooms, and even in the broom closets. Gavin shouted his name over and over, to the point his voice grew hoarse. I tried to stay calm through it, but we were both scared of what we would find, or worse, what we wouldn't.

It wasn't for a while that we decided to check the security room once more. Knowing there was a separate entrance, we took the left wing towards it, and found the door was left open. We stepped in carefully and scanned the room thoroughly again-

_BAM_

And the door slammed shut. The lights inside continued to flicker, as the monitor ahead of us came to life.

"Fucking what?" Gavin asked, looking around him in a panic. "What's going on?"

"I...don't know..."

As I responded, the phone in front of us rang. We each refused to answer it, and so, the answering machine picked it up for us. Echoing in the room was a familiar voice.

"Well, I figured Gavin would be dumb enough for this, but the new Wall Builder as well? We have this in the bag."

"Ryan! What are you doing, you arsehole?!" Gavin shouted for the machine, causing the voice, Ryan, to chuckle darkly.

"It's us, Gavie~ We're all a part of it. Even you were at one point, but it's clear you've forgotten those days..."

"...What does he mean, Gavin?" I asked, looking back to him.

"I don't know!" he said, grabbing the side of his head. "I really don't remember, but...I would never side with these knob-ends!" He hurried forward and shouted to it once again. "Where is Michael?!"

"Oh, he's fine, along with the rest of your little 'team'. You just need to find them first~"

The machine cut off, as Gavin slammed his fist on the table, the doors opening up once again. As concerned as I was about what Ryan had meant, I knew that this was vital for us to find him. We silently left the room, continuing to search, now retreading old locations. Something I hadn't noticed until now was the fact that this game challenge was without it's major element, the animatronics. This was clearly Freddy Fazbear's Pizza, but it was unusually empty, even more-so than it's past foreboding lonely atmosphere. Even Michael's shouting ended eventually. Hope began to wane for both of us, until suddenly, Gavin chirped out a fearful screech. Turning to see, he had ducked, and was now cowering under his arms.

"What, what?!" I asked, going back for him.

"The bloody rabbit!" he screamed, pointing to the floor. I looked and saw the rabbit, Bonnie's head on the floor, wires sparking where it was attached to its body. I could only observe it for a moment, before another piece came hurling towards us, now Bonnie's removed arm. And then its leg. And then Chica, the chicken's hand. Gavin held out his hands, activating his gauntlets, as the soaring parts gathered up in the aura of hovering slow motion. I took the flashlight and saw that, aside from the parts discarded on the ground, the main four animatronics, Bonnie, Chica, Foxy and soon, Freddy, floated above us. Gavin stood slowly, still keeping his hands focused, before dropping them to the ground, looking to the bits and pieces around us.

"What the hell?" Gavin muttered, unable to keep from chuckling briefly at the sight. "What happened here?"

"Those fucks were getting on my nerves, so I gave them a piece of my mind."

We turned to see a figure approaching us, and holding the light to it, we were greatly relieved to see who it was.

"Mi-coo!" Gavin smiled wide, hurrying over to embrace him.

Though apparently, Michael wasn't having any of it. With one swift motion, he punched him square in the gut, causing him to buckle over in pain, wincing hard.

"Wh-What was that for?!" Gavin asked through pained coughs.

"'What was that for?'? What the fuck happened to you?! We were just going through the woods, trying to regroup with you," Michael shouted, pointing to me, "And suddenly you start attacking me?!"

"But, it wasn't me, Michael!" Gavin said, groaning as he stood. "I-I was taken over! I tried to stop myself, but...I just couldn't! I'm sorry..."

"And then, I somehow wind up here and have to tear my way through those damn things, and now you show up and act like everything's fine?!" Michael growled, but before Gavin could try to respond, he interrupted him. "I heard what Ryan said about you over the phone. You're as guilty as he is!"

"Michael, I swear, I know as li'l as you do about all this!"

"He said you'd act like you don't know...and right now, I really don't know who to trust anymore..." Michael said, before looking back to me, unsheething his sword and pointing it to me. "You, our supposed 'leader', I don't know you, and really, you don't know me...but clearly, if you brought us all here, you can get us out right?!"

"Y...Yeah, I guess..." I said, looking away, trying not to get between their argument. "But I still need to find Danny and Arin, and I lost Mark, so-"

"Whatever, we're all in this mess right now because you brought us into it," he said, his words stabbing me harder than his sword ever could have. "We're getting out of this place. Right now. And after you find the rest of them, we're taking care of whatever the fuck it is that we need to do, and getting out. And if we remember this at all and I see your face-..."

As he spoke, Gavin stood up straight and quickly embraced him at last. Michael seemed to stop dead, even to the point of dropping his sword. Gavin, shoulders shaking and knees buckling underneath him, kept a firm hold around his waist.

"I'm just as scared as you are, Mi-coo...but...she's our one hope...whatever it is I did, I don't remember, I swear...but...I was so worried about you...I missed you, Michael...just please, let's just work together on this...ok?"

I looked between the two of them for a moment, as Michael finally seemed to relax, holding around Gavin's shoulders tightly, sighing hard.

"Alright...just...don't get yourself lost like that again, ok? All I do is see red when you piss me off by getting yourself in danger like that..."

"It's a wonder you get anything done when you're blinded like that," Gavin said with a chuckle.

"Shut the fuck up, you're ruining the moment," Michael responded, giving him one last tight squeeze before releasing him. He looked back to me, in an apparent complete mental one-eighty. "So, we all good, can we leave this hell-hole now?"

"Yes, another minute in here and I'm going insane, too," I said, turning around to locate the main hall. "So, where's the exit again?"

Silence. Darkness. And no more Team Nice Dynamite.

I looked around as the darkness took over me once again, this time, it had felt much worse. It was the same darkness as when I found Mark, but I couldn't even take one step, before hearing swift flapping behind me. A light smack hit the top of my head, as an envelope landed ahead of me. Groaning, I picked it up and opened it, reading it's contents.

"You know that the life of a YouTuber can be pretty difficult. For a lot of reasons. Say you try to make decent animations, and you get a good following. You start a sub channel for gaming with a friend of yours. Said friend gets replaced. People get mad. You're now the worst person in the world for allowing this. Imagine the hate, the backlash, the loss of dedicated fans. And imagine the comments! Oh, the comments are the worse! Let's see how he's handling it by now. -J.J."

A bright light blinded me, as I stepped back from it, shrouding my eyes with my hands. As I adjusted, I heard angry shouting once again, though not as aggressive as those from Michael, but just as frustrated. I looked over and saw a massive wall that looked like a rock climbing challenge. But from behind it, a figure slid down and stood in anger, before looking over to me.

"Hey! You're alright!"

"Yeah...Arin? What are you doing?" I asked, approaching him. I spotted his new attire, what seemed to be a Super Mario Sunshine cosplay, with a completely functioning F.L.U.D.D. "And why are you dressed like that?"

"I don't know..." he started, seeming clearly frustrated, sweat beading around his face. Or water. "I just blinked and I was here...and I've been having to...do this...for a long time!"

As he tried to speak, what sounded like a crowd, or an angry mob, called out from around us. I looked around, then finally noticed that we had been standing on a hovering platform. I looked down to the dizzying height and saw a sea of people, all shouting towards Arin. Mostly angry, some annoyed, some frustrated. I looked back to Arin, as he shook his head with a shrug, seeming defeated. And at last, I looked back up to the wall. To the giant Pachinko wall.

"Oh...joy..." I muttered.


	7. Chapter 7

Arin looked down to the crowd, sighing with dismay, running a hand into his shaggy beard.

"This has been going on for hours. I haven't been able to even breathe without these guys saying I'm fucking up," he said as I looked to the crowd again.

_You suck so hard at this! Let Dan play for once! Bring back Jon!_

They continued shouting up to him, as he seemed to routinely walk back to the platform. Looking back to him, I saw how he grabbed the F.L.U.D.D. handles disdainfully, before jumping up once. Upon landing, the springboard he had been standing on triggered, and he flew up to the height of the wall, his head skimming the curved rooftop. The F.L.U.D.D. activated and, using the high pressured water, he carefully tried maneuvering himself over a slanted platform with a hovering red coin. He eased himself over the platform and stopped the water, dropping down and grabbing the coin, sliding all the way back down from behind the wall.

_Great job, dick! Seven more to go, here goes another hour of our lives._

What was up with this crowd? Even when he achieved what they wanted to see, they still get mad at him? And what exactly was I supposed to do? It's not like I had a F.L.U.D.D. to help him get the coins faster. He went to get the second coin, finding it more difficult to move around the pegs, as the crowd continued shouting up. After a minute, he fell and got the coin, as I met up with him at the base of the slide.

"Shit, they just don't stop, do they?"

"Eh, after the first two hours, I got deaf to it all...it's nothing I'm not familiar with, they've been on my ass for two years now."

"Wh- Two years?!"

"Well, yeah, ever since Jon left..."

He was right in a way, since JonTron was essentially replaced by Dan, at least in the fans' eyes, the hate comments on Arin were a good five per episode, if not more. Most of them were trolls trying to get a rise from other commenters, but I thought they were all to be ignored by the channel runners. But knowing how the site goes, some of them could still get through unintentionally. This must be what got to him the most.

More flapping flew over my head as he went to get the third coin, followed by another letter. I picked it up and read it.

"Trying to ignore hate is one thing. The knowledge that the hate exists is another. When praise is minimal for equal achievement, something greater has to shine through. -J.J."

Something confused me about the letters to this point, at least from all but ChilledChaos himself. They each seemed to have been, in some way, trying to help give me advise to complete the challenge. Jack with Mark, Ryan with Gavin and Michael and now, evidently, Jon with Arin. Only Chilled had provided no help with what to do. There was something deeper going on with the adversaries, but I had no idea what it could be at this point. The logic in this world was little to none, and as Arin descended from grabbing the third coin, I decided to take it as more of a YouTube Wonderland than anything else.

"Looks like you only have five left," I said to him, crumpling and tossing the letter.

"Yeah, but these five are always the hardest. I've only collected all of them once, then I fucked it up on the star."

"The star?"

"Yeah, that's what I get at the end. More of a Shine than anything, Super Mario Sunshine after all," he said, coming around to the front and pointing to the very center of the wall, with the largest platform and hole. "It appears there, but when I tried to grab it, I missed. And that really got them upset."

Them. I nearly forgot. Remembering them made the crowd sound louder than ever. And that gave me an idea.

"Arin, go ahead and try to get the fourth one," I started. "But this time, ignore them."

"I've been trying, dude..."

"I know, it's hard, but like you said, you go deaf to it all. And...just try to listen to me, ok? I'll try to help you the entire way. I promise. It's really all I can do at this point."

"Alright, but I don't know how much it'll help..." he said, going back to the platform. He jumped and ascended, trying to move over the next one.

_You suck so hard! Get it over with already! You're not doing it right!_

"Arin! Listen to me and only me, ok? You're doing fine, you already got three!" I started shouting, running to the front of the wall to try and guide him. "I see the next one, just go a little to the left! You got this!"

"Ok, I got it, coming down!" he said, turning the water off and getting the coin, laughing in triumph. Halfway done.

"Ok, Arin, go get the next one, but don't talk to me, alright? Just listen and focus, you can talk when you come back down."

"Got it, Captain~!" he said, jumping with more vigor back on the platform.

Captain. It was the first time I had been called that since Mark reinstated it when we all first met. I couldn't help but actually feel the title was worthy for once, as I smiled at the feeling it gave me. I was leading a team, and they believed in me. At least, most of them did.

Remembering my job, I ran back around to the front and guided Arin to the fifth coin, then the sixth and seventh. The crowd continued to try to spout negativity, but I kept at my praise until my mouth was dry. Arin managed to block out all the hate and grab each coin in succession. He stepped over to me after the seventh coin, laughing a bit as he panted, catching his breath.

"You only have one left, then the Shine."

"Yeah, and this is the fastest I've gathered them all yet," Arin said, looking back up to the last coin in the bottom right corner. "And then, we're finding Dan and getting out of here."

"Yep, we're gonna get through this. All of us. But we have to finish this first, so get on that platform and get that coin."

He nodded and went for the platform as I returned to the front. I helped to guide him to the point of hovering over the coin, my voice calling over the crowd, as I got distracted by fluttering once more. The letter fell at my feet as I fell silent, grabbing the letter.

"I got it!" Arin called out excitedly, the Shine appearing above the center platform. "Just gotta get that now!"

I stayed silent, opening the letter and reading it. It...didn't make sense, and it felt like I wasn't meant to read it just yet.

"Captain! Kinda need your help here!"

I looked up to Arin calling back to me, and I hurried back into the mindset of helping to guide him.

_Fuck it up! Grab it now, you dick!_

"You got this, Arin! To the right, easy~ It's right there for you!"

Arin eased over it, seeming to pause to make sure he would get it, before turning off the F.L.U.D.D. water and taking a swan dive for the Shine, grabbing it and hugging it to his body as he slid down, laughing happily and excitedly the whole way. I hurried for him and hugged around his tremorring body, as his knees gave way and we held each other in joy on the floor. We cheered, fists in the air as we separated, and stood up again.

"We did it...we fucking did it!" Arin exclaimed with relief, holding up the Shine.

"Nah, man, that was all you," I said happily.

"No, I kept fucking up without you. It was too hard to see the coins with the water always in the way, so your guidance was well past needed," he said, patting and squeezing my shoulder.

"Ok, ok, we did it then. Now, let's get out of here, ok?" I said, looking back to the crowd, or where the crowd had been. "And it looks like they finally shut up, too."

We both looked over the edge as it seemed that each person slowly began to fade. Each person became a small, blue orb, proving that it was just a part of the test, and ascended slowly. The Shine, still in Arin's hands, flew and spun above us, glowing softly, growing brighter with each quickening spin. The light engulfed the area, and was soon replaced with darkness once again.

"Oh, great, not this again..." I muttered, looking back to find...no Arin. It wasn't that I was unfamiliar with this, but at least when I was looking for Michael, I had Gavin with me. I thought the pairings were supposed to be able to help find each other, but hopefully, Arin was sent to wherever the others would be waiting. I paused for a while, trying to allow the challenge to start. After a moment, the darkness remained, the silence broken by what sounded like quiet sobbing.

"Hello?" I asked, looking around, still in pure, thick darkness. It was then that I remembered the letter, or rather, had the letter narrated to me by a familiar voice.

"There once was a boy who often felt glee. Their life was alright, until their late teens. With mono, depression and some OCD, their life grew as hard as it could ever be..."

Finally adjusting to the darkness, I saw a silhouette of a hunched figure on the ground, a recognizable trait being their hair.

"Dan!" I hurried for him, kneeling down to him. "Dan, are you ok?"

He only responded with sobs, head hanging, as the narration continued.

"A smiling mask was a front for the rest, to fool them to thinking his life was the best. A struggling mind and mild addiction makes a happy life seem quite like a fiction. Your challenge here, 'Captain', if you think that you can, is to help this pained soul by the short name of Dan."


	8. Chapter 8

The darkness remained, thick and unrelenting. I stood away from Dan, trying to think, unsure of how to solve this one. It wasn't game related in any way, it was just the two of us. I could just hoist him up and take him out, but his depression forced him to stay in dead weight. The narration spoke out again, breaking the silence between sobs from Dan.

"It's not everyday that this challenge is won. A scene in his mind is not all too fun. The lonely oppression emotions can bring takes out a weak soul and leaves them reeling." As the narration continued, I looked back to him, his arms tight around his chest, head hanging, covered in his thick curls. "'You're nothing,' 'You're worthless,' 'You'll never amount,' are over and over in his mental doubt."

"Dan...Dan, you can't stay like this," I said, kneeling back down to him. "Come on, you've already gone through all this, snap out of it..."

"I...can't...I can't..." Dan choked out, shuddering hard. I placed a hand on his shoulder, and it felt ice cold. I wanted to embrace him, but as I tried to pull his arms apart, I saw why he couldn't.

"The state that he's in leaves him bound and chained in a prison of thought, and the key's unattained."

The narration stated what I had seen. Blackness was binding him to the ground, seeming to drain every bit of what was once his happiness. It was now that I had noticed his legs had completely sunken into the ground. I shook his shoulder to try and get him out of it, but the more he moved, the more he wept, and the more the darkness edged up his body.

"When all one wants is a free state of mind, a small bit of light is all they must find..."

I backed away and watched his body get engulfed, as the narration seemed to start over again. I gripped my head and tried to ignore it, the repeating not only getting on my nerves, but getting me sad as well. Here was my last teammate, someone I was meant to guide and protect, and from what seemed like an easy win was the hardest challenge I've faced. It pained me, my heart, and my whole body. Looking down, I had already begun to get trapped by the darkness as well. I tried to pull out of it, but it was like tar. I only managed to get back over to Dan, before falling to my knees, the sorrow starting to envelope me.

"Dan, Dan, please...we need to get out of here..." I said, trying to think of anything that would put him in the right mindset. "A-Arin is waiting for us...for you...he misses you..."

"Arin...I'm so sorry..." Dan muttered. No good.

"A-And Ross, and Barry, Suzy, Kevin...Brian...what would they think if they saw you like this?"

"I'm...just a disappointment...so many people still hate me..."

"No, they're...they're just trying to be jerks...Dan, come on, I need you on my team...you're important to so many people..."

He remained silent, as did I for a moment. I felt myself well up in tears, the darkness making its way up my back. I tried one last thing to remind him to be happy.

"Dan...remember what you said...how you made it through this before...how you...you're always happy, because you know how sadness feels...this is the sadness...remember how many people told you that you help them...your story alone has helped out so many with their problems...you...helped me then, too...you're better than this..."

He stayed silent, as I fell quiet as well, looking away, starting to allow the darkness further up my body. This was it, how it all ended.

"Did I...really help you?"

I heard him ask. I nodded, finding myself looking back to him. His head rose to me, and I finally saw his face. It seemed that the darkness was edging away down his face, but only slightly, revealing the choker around his neck. One final idea came into my head before I was overtaken.

"Dan. Sing."

"Wh-What the fuck do you mean?" he asked, arms starting to go free.

"I know...how we can get out of here, but...you need to help me again...just one more time...we need to overpower the narration, it's what's getting us down."

"But...what am I supposed to sing?"

"Anything, just...make it quick..."

Dan looked to me oddly, but seemed to also realize it was really our only hope at this point. He groaned to clear his throat, forcefully pulling his arm out of the darkness to place a hand by his ear.

"The Captain's tellin' me to sing, but I don't know what about...but I guess that it's our final chance to get us the hell out...the dark shit all around us now won't keep us from getting free...the narrator can suck my balls for trying to trap me..."

As he sang, the choker brightened up, seeming to get brighter with each verse, until the shield appeared brightly over his chest, dissipating the darkness around him. He smiled in relief and stood, looking around, before continuing.

"This YouTube war can't stop us now, I'm here to let you know...that if you fucks all want a fight, then it's time for us to go...when you're ready to face off, just know you're going down...the six of us will take you on and rip off that fucking crown!"

His improvised song brightened the space around us and revealed...the Summoning Hold. The darkness faded from me and I stood next to him, looking around, seeing how the blue floor and walls returned all to normal. But something was still missing from it all.

"Now, you assholes, come on now, and give us a fair fight. We started out all in this room, but there's no one else in sight. You want a fight, you got a fight, but give us back our team, so we can all get out of here, and end this crazy dream!"

Dan paused as we both looked around, expecting them to all appear instantly. We waited for a moment, Dan's shield fading, until finally-

"Danny!"

We turned to see Arin quickly running for Dan, hugging him to the ground, laughing in near hysterics. Behind him was the rest of the team, Mark, Michael and Gavin, all finally together once again. I cried in joy, holding my head, before running for Mark, hugging him tightly, before the others. We were all back together. We won, at least up to this point.

"Where were all of you?!" Gavin asked as I hugged him tightly.

"Looking for each other! Everyone else was stuck in completely different places, and...I had to help them all out of it..."

"I've been waiting so long to see you all again!" Mark exclaimed, hugging the Grumps. "I thought I was trapped forever..."

"Where did you all end up?" Dan asked.

"Just here, all stuck in this room," Michael responded, before nudging Gavin. "At least he got something useful out of it."

"Oh, really?" I asked, looking back to Gavin. "What's that?"

He smiled, before reaching around him and pulling out an impressive green bow that matched his suit.

"Top, right? And check this out~" he said, before aiming and pulling the bowstring, no arrow in sight. For a moment. As he fired to a wall, a bright green light shot from it, piercing the wall, before erupting in green smoke. "It shoots energy bolts! Not even Mark Nutt can be this cool!"

"Awesome!" I said, looking to the bow. "So everyone has a weapon now, too! This...is going a lot better now than I thought..."

"Hey, it wouldn't be this good if you haven't helped us out of where we were..." Mark started, stepping over to me. "If it wasn't for you, I'd still be stuck in that jail cell."

"I'd still be the Slenderman," Gavin spoke up after him.

"I'd still be doing the goddamn wall with people raging at me to get better," Arin continued.

"And I'd still be lost, in wherever I was..." Dan finished, each of them now turning to Michael, who looked to me, arms crossed.

"What? I got out of that animatronic hell on my own," he said with a huff.

"Mi-coo~..." Gavin said with a chuckle.

"What?"

"Tell her what really happened..."

"Fuck no!" he growled, as we all fell silent. He groaned and looked away from me. "Alright, fine. Those robots were already all broken to bits, I just...sort of got lost in there...and...if you hadn't shown up, I would still be lost in there...ok?"

We each remained silent for a moment, before Mark turned away slowly, muttering low.

"Looks like I'm still the king~"

"WHAT DID YOU SAY, YOU FUCK?!"

We all laughed together, all mostly just relieved to be reunited. All our first challenges were over, even though their individual challenges meant five to me, but it at least proved one thing. Maybe I was ready to be Captain of these guys. Maybe I can lead these goofballs to victory against another team of goofballs. Maybe we can go home after this was all resolved.

Maybe...

_RRRrrrr...RRRrrrr...RRRrrrrrrr..._

Blinking briefly at the odd noise suddenly surrounding us, my vision darkened. My body stilled. A twitch. A stir. A meow. My eyes focused to reveal the horrible truth of it all.

I was back in my bed, my alarm blaring, my cat crying out to be fed.

"No...No!" I shouted, sitting up, nearly knocking the cat off my lap. I ran a hand through my bedhead hair and looked around. This was definitely my room. This was definitely my world.

This was definitely a dream.


	9. Chapter 9

I felt cheated. Absolutely cheated. I couldn't bring myself to believe what I assumed at first to be the only answer. The pain was real. Their speech was their own. Their embraces...genuine. And I'm supposed to accept it all as just going on in my subconscious mind? Disappointed, there wasn't anything else I could do. I had to get up and go to work. I had no choice.

I got myself ready and started for my job, getting in my car and driving off, frustrated the whole way. At least there wasn't really a feud going on online? But why couldn't I take it? It was just too close to real life, with nothing I did the night before influencing it, aside from just falling asleep to videos in my ear. I do that every night. Why was now different?

Still fuming, I made it to work. A low chain fast-food restaurant that I helped manage. A few of my co-workers were already there, some of them asking why I was late. Ignoring them, I clocked in and got to work. We were never really busy except for right at noon, where the lunch rush began. One hour from now. Great.

I prepared some baked goods and started working at our drive-thru, still in my own head, when one of our managers walked up to me.

"You alright?" he asked, looking me over. "You look mad."

"I'm fine, just...had a bad night, that's all," I responded, getting myself a soda from our drink machine, spotting a customer coming through.

"Well, we've been pretty slow today, if lunch isn't all too bad, just go ahead and clean lobby, ok?"

"Yeah, I don't know how many rude customers I can deal with today," I said, setting down my drink as the alarm in my headset sounded, signalling a customer at our speaker.

The day went slowly, as he said, and I went out to clean the tables and floor of our lobby. About five minutes after I started, more orders came through, making me return to the drive-thru area, our lunch rush kicking in early. One of our last orders came through after a moment at the preview board.

"Good morning," I spoke routinely. "How can I help you?"

"Yes, what's your cheapest item on the menu?"

I paused briefly, the voice being muddled by the poor quality of our headsets, before I realized what they asked.

"Well, that would be our-"

"Ah, nevermind, I want a number two small, that's it! With a coke!"

"...Ok, come to the window for your total..." I said, ringing them up, shaking my head at the 'great' start of the day. As they pulled up, I opened the window and looked out.

"That'll be nine forty..." I paused, looking to the driver. A very familiar face, and far from a usual customer. "...Uhm...nine forty-five."

They handed me the money silently and I handed out their order in time. The entire time, they remained staring at me, as I stared back. As they drove off, I looked out to the car, about to try and chase them down, but not wanting to possibly lose my job in doing so. But there was no denying who I had saw.

It was Ryan. The Mad King himself.

I shook my head from the thought. Ryan Haywood? Here? Far from it, I had just been thinking too much about my dream and hallucinating him. Clearly. My head was not in the right place at the time, and now I have added on stress with a long work day ahead of me.

Our lunch rush kicked up again, and I was moved up to front register. I sent orders through quickly as my co-workers helped keep everything in stock. One of our big items was our baked goods, and we had run out of our chocolate filled croissants. Once they were prepped and frosted, and noticing that all of my other co-workers were preoccupied, I went to set them in the display. As I brought them out from the back line, I stopped, spotting an approaching customer come in from the entrance. A slightly heavy-set man with a gruff beard, with a small green bird on his shoulder. A clear health violation, and one that my co-worker was about to step out and mention, but at the sight of the man, I accidentally dropped the croissants to the floor.

Jon. And this time, it was clear. It was him. His arguing voice with the co-worker to ask him to leave the bird in whatever car he came in. His mannerisms. His appearance. And worse, he spotted me staring straight at him, and it was only with a smirk from him that he finally turned and left. My knees went weak, and I quickly hurried to the office, to our general manager.

"I need to go home. Now."

"What, why?" she asked, looking up from her computer.

"I don't know, I'm...I'm seeing things, I think. I just can't focus right now, I think I'm getting sick."

"Well...can you stay until the end of lunch? We'll put you on sandwiches for now, then you can go."

"...That works, yeah, I'll be careful about it," I agreed reluctantly, before stepping out and going to the kitchen.

The rush continued as expected. I helped out with the more complicated sandwiches, keeping my eyes down. I wasn't sure of what I would do if I hallucinated one more adversary.

I had to stop. There were no adversaries, there was no Wall Riser, there was no 'team'. It was a dream. It was a dream...

"Hey, can you help me out?" The manager on drive-thru asked me, handing me a bag. "This person is parked out front, and their order's done. Can you bring it out to them?"

"Sure, gimme a second," I said, finishing a sandwich I was making and sending it down the line. I grabbed the bag and stepped out from behind the counter, hurrying out to a small brown car. I stepped to the driver side door, window rolled up. I knocked lightly and the driver started the car, rolling the window down. "Sorry for the wait, sir, you're all set-..."

"Ah, thank you so much!" he smiled, squinting to my name tag, a thick accent on his voice. "...Amalia! Love that name! Hey, high-five?" he asked, taking the bag with one hand, holding up his other to me.

I backed away from the car, before turning completely, running away from the car and starting for my own. Fumbling with the keys, I peeled out quickly, not caring about the loss of my job at this point. There was something wrong, whether with me or this day.

First Ryan, who I thought was just me seeing things, then Jon, now Jack. The only one missing was-

"Hey, Jesus! Watch where the fuck you're going!"

"Sorry! Oh my god, I'm so sorry, sir!" I said in my panic, stopping as the man stepped away from my car and around to my window.

"Jeez, we knew you were jittery, but we didn't think you were _this_ bad!"

Anthony. ChilledChaos. By my door. The panic took me over, or perhaps it was whatever he did to me as he placed his hand on my head. My vision faded, my body going limp. I remained staring up to him, clad in his traditional flannel shirt and Mario hat. My vision tunneled, and the last thing I saw were his eyes. Thin, menacing, with a hint of red.

I awoke on my back, the Summoning Hold surrounding me, as well as my teammates. They seemed to have waited for me to wake up, as Mark was the first one to kneel down to me quickly.

"She's ok! She's awake now!" He exclaimed, holding up my head. "Are you ok?!"

"Wh...yeah, but...what happened?"

"Fucking dumbass used the wrong sort of bolt to show off his bow," Michael said, smacking Gavin across the back of his head.

"Wrong bolt? What do you mean?" I asked, trying to move, finding my whole body felt numb.

"It was a disabling bolt, the smoke from it cripples whoever inhales it," Dan said, rubbing the side of his head. "We've all been out for a few hours, and you've been out the longest. We all thought we just woke up from this place," he looked over to Gavin silently.

"I said I was sorry!" Gavin said, holding out his bow. "I just wanted to give a demonstration, I don't know how to work this bloody thing yet!"

"It's fine...you still need to train with it..." I said, getting feeling back throughout my body.

"Are you alright, though?" Arin asked, helping me up along with Mark. "You sounded like you were having a hard time."

"It was...weird, that's for sure...I saw all of them in my blackout...every adversary, while I was at work...they were driving me crazy," I said, shaking off my paralysis. "Glad it wasn't real, though, I want to be able to keep the job I have outside of here."

"Wait, you saw them?" Mark asked.

"Yeah, Chilled, Jack, Ryan and Jon. They all showed up in some way...and Chilled looked terrifying, really unnaturally, too..."

They looked to each other for a moment, seeming tense. Mark looked towards Gavin, speaking out at last.

"Well, we clearly still have some training to do before we go up against them. Most of us just goofed off with our weapons, but now, things are getting serious, and if we want to stand any chance of getting out of here, we need to be ready. For whatever we'll face. So, let's get some actual training done, with everything we've got. Alright, guys?"

"Are you sure you don't want to be Captain, Mark?" I asked, laughing a bit.

"Not really, but how does your First Mate sound?" he asked in response with a smile.

I paused, looking away from him. Of my whole team, yeah, I'll admit it. Mark was my favorite. And he was the most hopeful when it came to being authoritative. With a nod, I grabbed for the dagger on the ground next to me.

"Sounds like a plan, I'm ready."


	10. Chapter 10

**A/N: Sorry for the delay in updates on my two major stories, with work, real life issues and the recent tragedy in Markiplier's life, I couldn't bring myself to uploading anything new lately. But seeing as a lot of that is now in the clear, I figured now would be a good time to post the next chapter in respective stories. Thanks again for being so patient, and to those who have shown Mark some love, I thank you double. We're all here for this rough time, and he's grateful for it all.**

"Alright, 'King', get ready to be dethroned!" Michael growled, holding his sword at the ready. "I'm ripping that crown off your big, dumb head."

"Heh, only when you pry it from my cold, dead hands!" Mark returned the threat, his much larger sword ready, aiming for him. They paused for a moment, each waiting for the other to make the first move, before Michael swiftly ran up for him, Mark following a second after, the two swords clanging against one another. Both their energy auras erupted between the two swords, as they began their fight training.

As they fought, the Summoning Hold seemed to create platforms and obstacles for them to use for resistance. A useful feature, as Arin and Dan also took advantage of it, Arin using the rising pillars to hide behind, Dan holding his mace and searching for him. Each time he would find him, Arin would bounce away and onto lower platforms, shooting for him, as Dan would sing out his shield, experimenting with different notes and octaves. Rinse and repeat.

The two pairings seemed adamant in their training, while Gavin and I stood, trying to decide as to how we could train together. Gavin would often look to Michael, seeming to miss his training buddy, while Michael appeared to go out of his way to ignore him, still irritated with his accident and accusation of working with the adversaries. I noticed his hesitance and stepped over to him.

"Hey," I started, placing a hand on his shoulder. "How about you try out your bow again? If that was just one of the bolts you could use, there are obviously more, right?"

"Yeah, but..." Gavin said, grabbing his bow from his back. "I really don't know how to use them. I could only do that one that knocked us all out, and one earlier when you were still gone. That was after we found Mark back here, and it blew a hole in the wall."

"What color was it?" I asked, thinking the bolts are connected to Gavin's psyche in some way.

"Uh, it was like a...a lightesh-red I think."

"You mean 'pink'?"

"Oh, don't get started on that," he said, laughing a little.

"Clearly, it has to go along with your emotional state upon use. What were you feeling when you used both of them?"

"Well, I was scared...using the first one. Like, we were together again, but not all of us. And Michael was still mad at me..." he said, looking back to his friend. Michael caught his glance, but simply grimaced, going back to swordfighting with Mark. "Well, he still is now, but...and when we were all back together, I was excited. Happy. Like, we actually had a chance at this."

"So...fear causes an explosion and happiness sedation..." I thought for a little bit, looking to the bow. "It seems that it's going with the solution to whatever problem the user has. If you're scared, you feel trapped, so the explosion makes a potential way out. And if your happy, elated rather, it calms you to the point of collapsing."

"That sounds bloody useless..." he said, "Why am I always stuck with these awful things?"

"It's not, it could actually be the best weapon any of us have!" I said, looking to a high platform in the center of the Hold. "Ok, well, how are you feeling now?"

"A bit depressed, to be honest."

"Ok, test it out on that. What does sadness create?"

Gavin shrugged, reluctantly pulling at the bow string, aiming to the platform. A bolt of light yellow appeared as he released it, and once it hit the platform, it began to morph, slowly changing from the blue pillar it was into a large tree, surrounded by a lush patch of grass dotted with flowers. Even the tree, descending its branches, sprouted flowers all about it. The room seemed to pause as even a light aura emitted from the tree, brightening the room.

"What the hell?" I muttered, as each of the others stopped to look.

"Wha-...Where did that come from?" Dan asked, stepping up to it. "Is it even real?"

"Can't be..." Arin said, harnessing his gun. "But...it certainly feels nice to see nature again..."

"Yeah, it really does," Mark muttered, each of them seeming captivated by it.

"...What the fuck is this?!" Michael said, breaking the hypnotic silence. "Gavin, are you fucking kidding me?"

"What?" Gavin asked, as Michael approached him.

"You seriously think something like _this_ can help us? Hey, hopefully Ryan has a severe tree allergy, so for once, you can come in some use!"

"Shut up!" Gavin shouted back at him. "I'm just trying to figure out how to use this!"

"You know, there's a reason why you only got those useless gloves of yours. You're our human shield. You're the one who has to distract them while the rest of us do all the hard work! Now I can see why you got kicked out of their group, they wanted us to have you so they could have an easy win!"

"I said shut _up!_" Gavin shouted louder, pulling the bow string and aiming to Michael.

"Whoa, whoa!" Dan said, slowly trying to step up to him, as did the rest of us. Michael, however, didn't even flinch, as a bolt of blue appeared on the string.

"What are you gonna do, kill me? Oh, no, pray for me that I don't become a ficus!"

"Gavin, come on, stop!" I said, hurrying for him, trying to take the bow from his hands. "As your Captain, I command you to stop!"

He fought back hard, accidentally releasing the bow string, shooting to Michael's feet. He stepped back from the bolt as it glimmered in place, before sinking into the ground.

"Ha. Useless. Unsurprising." Michael spat, turning to return to fighting with Mark.

"Uhhh...Michael..." Mark started, pointing, stepping back.

Michael turned to look, as the floor of the Summoning Hold began to ripple. The ripples grew bigger as the floor itself started to melt, each of us sinking into it like water. We each tried to get out of it, Dan in an especially high panic, as the ripples built up into a full fledged wave, rising nearly to the ceiling. And in an instant, it crashed back down, falling hard, pushing all but Gavin and I to the walls. Gavin, however, held his slow motion gauntlets up to the wave, slowing it greatly to prevent it from hitting the two of us.

"...Gav?" I asked, trying to approach him, the slow motion affecting the water all around us, making the water at my feet like thick mud.

"It's clear that I don't belong here. That I shouldn't be here...admit it, you only chose me because your big choice was the leader of the adversaries," he said, not turning to look to me, focusing on the water.

"That's not true! I picked all of you because I thought you'd work well as a team! I was put on the spot and...I really did want you all on my team..."

"But...I'm worthless...I don't remember a thing about being on the other side, but...clearly, I don't belong on either. And now, even Michael hates me...I'm sorry, Captain, but from this point on, I'm not holding you guys back anymore."

"Gavin, please!" I called to him, the wave approaching closer to his hands. "You're hurting us more if you just abandon us!"

"You're all strong. You'll get through it without me...I know I would..."

The wave fell to his hands as time returned to normal. It swept me hard against the wall, and as suddenly as it had happened, it returned to simply being the floor once again. Even the dampness on my clothes hardened and fell to bits of the floor. I heard my team around me coughing out the bits as well, Mark nearly choking from ingesting too much.

"What the hell was that all about?!" Arin asked, starting back for me. "We could have all died just now!"

"He didn't mean to! The bow works on his emotions, and...that's what happens when he's angry...I guess it's how he should...'cool down'?"

"As good as that was, this isn't a time for jokes!" Dan said, wiping off bits of the floor from his arm.

"I'm gonna kill him. I'm gonna fucking kill him," Michael growled, looking around. "Gavin! Where are you, you asshole!"

"Good question..." Mark said, looking around as the rest of us did. "Where...is he?"


	11. Chapter 11

**A/N: Sorry again for the late updates here, work life has taken over to the point of exhaustion. I literally only have time for work and sleep nowadays, but I'll try to keep this up to date on the little free time I have here and there. Thanks for your patience and support n.n**

Checking every possible spot to hide in, though very few in the medium sized training dome, it was evident that there was no sign of him. There was no way either in or out, no doors or windows, and the walls were unbreakable, at least not with our weapons. And we tried, to the point that Dan was worn out from smacking his mace on the same spot several times. It had to take Gavin getting out to realize we were essentially trapped in here somehow.

"He got out somehow..." Michael said, looking around, sword on his shoulder. "But then again, that asshole can hide behind a fucking flagpole."

"Well, there's really nowhere in here he can hide. We've checked everywhere at least three times." Arin said, looking to Dan. "And these walls aren't busting anytime soon."

"Yeah, don't have to tell me twice..."

"We're down one teammate, this isn't good for us..." Mark started, stepping to me. "We need to rethink our strategy here."

"From what we know, we're up against four other people." I said, thinking out loud. "With five of us still here, we still sort of have the upper hand, but only by one. It's not the best, but it's something, and you guys are statistically stronger than them with your sub counts combined."

"True, but how much good is that gonna do us here?" Arin asked.

"Well, it's already given us these weapons and armor," Mark said, holding out his sword. "I'm pretty sure numbers matter here, and we're still pretty much on top."

"But how do we know that Gavin hasn't gone back to the other side?" Michael asked, unaware of just what he had said.

"Gone back, wait, what?" Dan asked, the rest of the team aside from myself having only heard this for the first time.

"Oh, he didn't tell you?" Michael said through a slight snarl. "Yeah, turns out the fuck used to be on their side in this weird ass war. And now, he's probably gone rogue, or just up and went back to them. Heard it from the horse's mouth. Or, more like mad cow king."

"You're kidding, right?!" Arin asked, grabbing the side of his head. "When was this?"

"Apparently before one of the restarts that goes on here." He continued, looking to me, gesturing with his hilt. "Ask her, she knows. Surprised she hasn't told you already."

They each turned to me, and I knew I was in some shit. They can't lose their trust for me now, we'd never make it out of here if they did.

"Is...that true? You knew about this?" Arin asked, seeming to try to keep in anger.

"Well...we're...I mean, I'm not entirely sure it's true or not-"

"Oh, come on!" Arin groaned, as they each began to pace in worry.

"Yeah! Ok, I heard it from Ryan, too!" I tried speaking over them. "But Ryan is on their side, so he could have been lying to try and manipulate us!" I looked over to Michael to try and prove my point. "You work with the guy, you know he does stuff like this when you play games together!"

"Yeah, he does, but this isn't a game! It's one of the most serious situations we can be in! If he wanted to lie to us, he wouldn't have reminded Gavin of it as well, just us! He planted the seed, sure, but if it was false, Gavin would still be here right now."

"We don't know if that was the reason he left! If anything, it could have been how much of a jerk you were being to him!"

"WHAT DID YOU JUST SAY?!"

"ENOUGH~!"

I jumped back to see Dan standing between the two of us, his shout echoing a large shield, blocking a downward thrust from Michael's sword. Through the argument, I hadn't even noticed that he was making an attack on me. I backed away, trembling a little, wanting to take back every word I had said, not even realizing where it was leading. Dan let the shield die down, Michael's sword hitting the ground as he took a knee, panting angrily. He then turned back to me, seeming frustrated.

"From now on, how about we don't have anymore secrets, ok? And...let's save the fighting for the enemies."

"Yeah...sure...I want to save this for those assholes anyway...I don't even care if I start with Gavin..." Michael muttered, trying to calm himself down.

"I just...really didn't think it was needed to be said, because...I thought he could have been lying." I said, looking back to my slowly collapsing team. "I didn't bring it up or go against him because...I believe in all of you..." I held my dagger close, looking down. "I just wanted all of us to get through this...I thought we could work together...but I guess it's clear that I'm a failure of a Captain...I helped you all out of those challenges, but it was really by your doing that you got out at all..." I turned, looking to the Hold's walls again. "Here, I'll keep trying to find a way out...after that, we can all just...try to go home. I'm sure we'll all find our ways..."

Silently, trying to ignore their comments of 'Just great' and 'We're fucked', I started trying to search the walls more thoroughly, tracing it with my dagger to find any seems to break through and utilize as a door. After ten minutes, I felt like I was walking in circles, the dome completely enclosed. I turned around to start going in the other direction, thinking I had missed something, before nearly bumping into a following teammate.

"...Need something?" I asked.

"Yeah, for you to come back over here." Mark said, gesturing to the rest of the group, each among their own conversations.

"That's alright, thanks anyway...I'm trying to be useful here..." I tried continuing along the wall, before Mark stepped in front of me.

"Stop it...please. Don't do that to yourself. You helped all of us. You helped me, remember? I had nothing to do with solving my challenge, it was all you."

"Look at me, Mark...do I honestly look like I can lead you guys the whole way through?" I said, looking into his eyes. "I don't have nearly as much support as you guys. And now, I'm losing your trust."

"You haven't lost mine yet." Mark said, smiling softly. "We just had a little roadblock, and it's common for Michael to fly off the handle. You've seen Rage Quit before, right? Michael getting mad is like a human breathing air to live, it's natural."

"But he attacked me."

"...I know...maybe it's still just Gavin disappearing that's messing with him. Give him time, let's find a way out...and let's try finding him again."

"We don't even know how to get out, or what is out there when we leave..." I said, looking away again.

"But right now, the question is, are you going to be there with your team~?"

We turned to see where the voice came from, familiar but long from heard before. A shadowed figure hung above us in the center of the Hold, seeming to appear from nothing. We each looked to it, Michael being the first to speak to it.

"Who the hell are you?"

"The one who brought me here..." I said, stepping up to them. "Haven't seen you in some time."

"Ah, I haven't thought you needed me until you really were at your wit's end. And it seems like now is that time."

"He's wearing a crown!" Arin shouted, pointing. "Is he one of them?!"

"Fear not, I am on your side~" As the figure spoke, Mark sprinted before it to get a better look. He paused, studying briefly, before laughing, stepping back, a hand in his hair.

"Is it really you, dude?! You're...you're here too?!"

"You? You who?" I asked, looking back to the figure. It descended and allowed the shadow about it to fade, revealing a face, one that was long since seen for me, but an apparent relief to Mark.

"You have to be kidding me..." Arin said.

"No fucking way..." Dan muttered.

"...Felix!" Mark exclaimed, the crowned male smiling as he stepped onto the floor.

"Heh...hey, bros~" he said with a wave.

"...Can I kill him now?" Michael growled.


	12. Chapter 12

So, then, there he was. Essentially, the King of YouTube himself, as it was made evident with his garbs and crown, elegant and mighty in its own right. It took some time, and some restraint of Michael, for us to calm down from the surprise, and the several questions asked. Mostly along the lines of, "Want to collab after all of this?", but soon went into more serious matters.

"Where did he go?" Michael spat out over chatty laughter between him and Mark.

"Hmm? Oh, your teammate." Felix began. "Yeah, he's out. Well, made it out of the Hold. When he turned the floor into water, he managed to slip through before it solidified again. Had those Slo-Mo hands to help."

"But...where is he now?" Mark asked, noticing how Arin and Dan sat cross-legged around him, expecting a sizable explanation for the past events. He sat next to Dan, as I sat by him. Michael remained standing, arms crossed in frustration.

"I can't be sure. All I can tell is that he is alive, though now, on his own outside of the Hold."

"Fucking traitor..." Michael muttered, looking away.

"So, there is an outside...?" Arin asked, leaning in a bit. "Are we gonna be able to get out?"

"Yes, but not torn apart as you all are right now. You've each seemed to have made mini alliances, and don't see eye-to-eye with the others." A pause fell over us all, knowing he was right. "You're all concerned about how your lost teammate was once on their side, right?"

"Well, yeah, how is that even possible?" I asked, looking up to him. "If he was one of them, I couldn't bring him here, right? That's what happened with Anthony."

"Anthony is the cause of all this. The leader of the adversaries. But that doesn't mean his team is unchanging as well." He said, taking a seat as well. Even he knew this would take a while to explain. "The team you built was yours and yours alone. And you all, minus your Captain, have fought together a few times before here and there, in many changing groups. Sometimes on this side, sometimes on the other."

"What?!" Mark looked to the others, confused. "Why would I fight against these guys? We're friends, right, Arin?"

"Yeah, we'd never cross each other!"

"But you have, you just can't remember it. The memories of everyone who fights on either side gets reset upon defeat. It just so happens that our side have been defeated every time. That's why none of you can remember the past failures. Only myself and Anthony remember it all."

"Well, why can't you just overpower him?" Michael asked. "You have probably the most subscribers on this site. You can take him down easily!"

"Sure, but in a game of chess, do the players attack one another through their fists, or through the pieces?"

We looked to one another, an uneasy feeling growing on each of us. Are we...literal pawns?

"By the way, have you noticed something, Captain?" Felix asked after the pause of tension over us.

"Uhh...noticed what?"

"Well, each of your allies and each of the adversaries are, well, mirrored. You each have an opponent that you know personally. Mark, have you ever thought that Jacksepticeye would go against you in something so serious?"

"No, never! I...I was devastated when I found out." He answered, seeming genuinely shaken up.

"Those...were the exact same words he said." Felix smiled. "In the past, he was chosen to be on our side, meaning you were on theirs. And when you were both on our side, or their side, these two were chosen," he said, gesturing to the Grumps. "And for you lot, when you two were chosen, you would have to pit off against Jon, Ross, even Brian or Suzy, on either our side or theirs."

"What? I'd never fight Suzy!" Arin shouted, jumping to his feet.

"And that is what would do you in. As for..." he said, turning to Michael, who seemed still adamant on slicing him up. "...you and your friend, there is a whole company's worth of people who have gone against you, in far too many combinations to number. To be honest, your lost friend was quite the strong enemy."

"Hmph...probably is gonna be again."

"Well, as I said, he has no memory of fighting against us. The best reason I have for your enemy remembering and telling you about Gavin's past is, well, the same way you're all learning it now. I'm here telling you, so Anthony must have told them first. We all have a mirror here, see for yourself."

He stepped back, and Michael immediately jumped back, a slab from the floor rising up in front of him. One rose in front of all of us, Mark, the Grumps, Felix, and myself. The wall began to get metallic, and soon reflective. Just as he said, each of our rivals appeared in the mirror.

"Jack! Jack, stop doing this, man!"

"Jon, come on, aren't we still friends?!"

"Yeah, dude, what happened?!"

"...Fuck you, Ryan...fuck you hard..."

"It won't end like this again, I guarantee it. This team will bring yours down."

I heard each of them speak to their reflected counterpart. Or rather, I could hear them. I stayed focused, looking to my mirror. To my counterpart. My adversary. I hadn't met them yet, not in this world. I didn't think it could be them.

"...Why you...?"

As we confronted our enemies in the mirrors, one by one, they began to ripple, crack, and eventually shatter, returning to the ground of the Hold. Each teammate was shaken up, Mark in near tears, Michael about to rip off someone's head, the Grumps chatting nervously. Felix was the only one left smiling, as I felt my gut wrench to my throat.

"Now you all understand. Once you were chosen for good, a balance was made for worse. But I can promise you...your lost friend does not remember his time with them. None of you ever do. Every time they are victorious, you forget, and start over when chosen again."

"...The only way to make this stop is to win, right?" Mark asked, looking back to Felix, who nodded slightly. "...Then let's win. Let us out of here, and we'll take them on. It'll be hard, since...they're close friends...but if defeating them means everything goes back to normal, then we can't lose. Not again, apparently."

"That's good to hear you say, Mark, but only you leaving to fight doesn't seem wise..." Felix stepped up to him, hands behind his back, a smile passing over his face. "Do you believe in your team? Can you fight as one?"

"Well, yeah, I was never gonna give up on any of them..." he said, looking to each of us. "We might be a little tense right now, but...I know we can do this."

"Good answer..." Felix said, taking Mark's hand with one of his, his other hand holding something within it. "Take this, but don't look at it yet. I need to see if it can be used properly."

Mark obeyed and kept whatever he gave him held in his hand. Felix then stepped to the Grumps, speaking to Arin first. "Can you fight as one?"

"Hey, as weird as this whole thing is, if it means getting out alive, I don't think I could fight with anyone else. Besides, I want to test out my legit Metal Gear set-up on a real target."

Felix smirked, proceeding to give Arin an enclosed item as well, going to Dan. "Can you fight as one?"

Dan remained silent for a moment, glancing over to Arin, then to me. At first, he simply nodded, before clearing his throat. "Our Captain...really helped me out in my challenge...I know I can follow her. And I'll protect her, and my team, no matter what."

"Noble, I like it~" Arin chuckled, playfully nudging up to him as Felix gave another item to him. Stepping to Michael, he began to speak.

"Can you f-"

"Alright, listen here," Michael started, grabbing for his sword from his back. "I don't know what's going on, where we are, where the fuck Gavin is, or who she is," he said, pointing to me, "and I'm getting sick of not having the right answers. So if we can just get this moving a little quicker, I'll stick with these guys, fight with them and be a part of the team. But once this whole mess is done, I'm going home. I have things I need to do that don't involve a weird cyber war that isn't a bunch of trolls on a forum somewhere! So yeah! I can fight as one, but let's actually get to the fight already!" He finished, thrusting his hand forward angrily.

"..." Felix paused, before chuckling loudly. "Ha! The best Michael Jones answer yet!" He said, placing his item in his palm. "But do save that 'Mogar' rage for the enemy, won't you?"

"Oh, don't worry, I have plenty." Michael smirked, gripping his item. Felix finally spun around and headed for me, smiling softly.

"And now, Captain of this Wall, in the face of the enemy, can you rely on your chosen team...and fight as one?"

I looked to him, swallowing a bit, before looking to the rest of my team. Mark clearly smiling, nodded slightly. He believed in me through all of this, even when the rest of them nearly lost their trust. They each looked to me, and even Michael seemed to have a different look about him. He was smiling, genuinely. Maybe, now that he knew the truth about how this worked, he believed in me a little more. Even Arin and Dan seemed to have a better air about me, Arin giving a thumbs up, Dan tapping a fist to his armor. I wished I could have Gavin with us too, if only to know if he believed in me as well. But this team of goofballs was better than I could ever ask for. And once we got out, we could at least try to look for him on our way to the war. I turned back to Felix, nodding confidently.

"Yes. I can."

"Alright, then, here you are." Felix said, handing me an item. I couldn't immediately tell what it was, until he stepped to the center of us once again.

"You all had your share of training, your ups and downs, and your time with the Captain, and she has proven her worth to each of you. As one, you must now help each other through this next challenge. You're free from the Summoning Hold. When instructed, look to the item in your hand. You'll be sent out and started on your way down a road. It will lead you to an arena. This is where you will fight. It will be a long road, and you will face more challenges along the way. But if you truly believe you can fight as one, no challenge will overcome you. I bid you all a safe journey." He finished, and with a smirk, formed his signature Bro-Fist, cleverly having each of us hold our item in the bumping fist. He passed each of us, fist bumping down the line, the bump signalling us to look to the item.

In all of our hands...was a small, red rectangle with smooth edges. We looked to each other briefly, confused, before the rectangles began emitting a bright, red light, growing bright enough to surround us all. And as quickly as it grew, it shrank back into each rectangle. But now, we were no longer surrounded by our blue prison. We felt fresh air hit our skin, sunlight blind our eyes, dirt under our feet. In seconds, we were joyous, matching the happiness of finding each other after all our challenges. Even Michael ran about in glee.

We were free.

But still, we were all far from home.


	13. Chapter 13

Even with it being as short lived as it was, we were relieved. To finally be out of the Summoning Hold and outside, it was a refreshing sight for all of us. And for a moment, we forgot about what was going on. But ahead of us, down the long path, loomed our destination. I stood at the edge of a small hill that the path lead to, looking to it.

It towered well into the skyline, a good three mile walk, if not more. Six stories, dark, and still, almost as if it was built out of pure obsidian. It was the only building in sight, surrounded by woods and edging off of what seemed to be an ocean under a ledge. It reflected the setting sun in a ray of orange and yellow. Seeing the sun made me wonder. Was there accurate time in this world? And if so, how long have we been here for?

"That's where we're heading, huh?"

I looked over to my first mate and nodded, gripping tightly at the rectangle, still unsure of it's use.

"Yup, but I don't think we're ready for it yet. We barely got much training in, and without Gavin...I'm worried about our odds."

"But hey, we got out of the Hold at least." Mark said, tapping my arm with his shield. "And we'll back each other up no matter what. It'll be tough, but we can't afford to lose. Right, guys?"

Mark said, as we turned to the rest of our team, who were gathered together around Michael, huddled over a pile of sticks. He was attempting in slight vain to light a makeshift campfire with sticks and stones, getting all the more irritated as with each near puff of smoke that wafted up, he lost his rhythm and the embers died out.

"Huh, what?" He looked up, pushing up his glasses. "Oh, sure, yeah, can't afford it."

Mark chuckled a bit, watching as Arin simply grabbed a twig from the pile, shot the end of it with his laser pistol, igniting it easily. He set it at the center, allowing the rest of the pile to catch.

"Hey, asshat, I was getting it!" Michael growled, standing up to face him.

"Yeah, maybe in two more hours, but we sort of need this now, if we're going to make it through the night, we need food and fire to cook it with."

"Is there even anything to eat around here?" Mark asked, walking back to them. "From what it seems, this place is just a bunch of woods and the arena up there."

"That's what we're trying to figure out." Arin responded, walking over to a tall tree, looking straight up. "You find anything yet, dude?"

"Nothing yet!" The voice of Dan called back, before his head poked out from the branches, along with his hands holding his mace. "But even if there was, I don't think this would be a good enough weapon to help gather literal fast food."

"If only we had a bow..." I muttered, Michael turning to me.

"What was that, 'Captain'?" He asked, voice raising slightly.

"N-Nothing, Michael...nothing...I'm gonna help Dan look for food. Mark, keep an eye on the team while I'm gone. We'll be back."

Mark nodded and sat at the campfire, Arin and Michael joining him, each of them inspecting their weapons. I called Dan back down from the tree and began towards the thicker woods with him.

"How you feeling, Dan?" I asked, noticing how his response to Felix seemed much different than the others. He said he would protect me, and already shown that he could, but he seemed off since his challenge.

"Alright, I mean, as good as I can be in this situation. Not exactly normal, but I guess better than can be expected." He said, keeping his focus on looking through the forest.

"Yeah...but...I'll make sure that we get through this. I helped you guys get this far, somehow."

"..." Dan paused in his step, causing me to stop and look to him. "Y'know, that shit that kept me stuck back there...it...wasn't as bad as how I felt long ago. What that narration kept saying, it was so much worse."

"Oh...I'm sorry...no one should have to go through that...and...I'm sorry if I didn't help you out of it well enough. I really tried to get you free..."

"Well, you did, otherwise I wouldn't be here, right?" He smiled, looking away from me after a moment. "I'm just saying...back then, no one really helped me through it. I was having a rougher time, and back there couldn't compare, but...at least I had someone to help me."

"Oh...I...w-...why are you telling me this? I mean, I'm glad I could help, but...I'm just doing what I can to help lead you all through this."

"I know...but you need to know that you're doing a great job, even if you don't think so. Hell, I don't even know your name. We've just been calling you 'Captain' this whole time."

I swallowed hard. He was starting to get personal, never a good sign. If something was going to happen to cause us to fall, it would hit harder for us than normal. That's what always happens. I've kept my name away from the others to prevent that, and to be called anything but 'Captain' would cause too much of a connection with my team. But...they all knew each other by name...except me. Maybe, if just Dan knew, it wouldn't be too bad.

"Uhm...it's Amalia." I finally said, looking back to him.

"Amalia. Really?" Dan said with a chuckle. "I swear I know that name from something. But hey, it's good to finally know."

He began through the woods again, and I couldn't help but smile. It was good, to at least get a little closer to a team mate. Sure, it might lead to tragedy, but just for now, I could call him, perhaps, a friend.

"Oh, shit, shut up for a second!" Dan suddenly said in a hushed voice.

"Wh-...I wasn't s-..." I started, also hushed, before spotting what he had. A small buck just ahead of us. Dan motioned me to crouch, as we both did, slowly trying to sneak up to it. Both of us only having melee based weapons, I silently cursed not having anything to at least shoot it with. And if I tried to go back for Arin, it would have probably ran off by the time I stood again. Dammit...where was Gavin...

"I'm gonna try to overpower it..." Dan whispered, stepping as slowly as he could to get behind it.

The buck didn't seem to notice, as Dan stepped carefully, avoiding leaves and twigs. I was still baffled at how there was in fact wildlife in this world. And edible wildlife no less. I remained still, wondering if he would want me to help in some way, thinking that if I moved, it would startle the deer immediately. I decided to lay low, allowing him to continue. Did Dan even know how to hunt? I mean, straddling a crocodile once doesn't exactly qualify you as a hunter. But in no time, he was mere yards behind the deer, still unnoticed, as it kept to eating the grass around him. As he paused, watching it for a moment, the deer's head raised-

_FtwUUP!_

-and was taken down by a surprise arrow, the rest of its body following.

"Whoa, what the fuck?!" Dan jumped back, looking at the deer, seeing the arrow that had pierced it clean through the skull. "Amalia, get behind me!"

In sudden panic, I froze, another arrow zooming past my arm, sticking to a tree next to me. I jumped and obeyed, Dan's voice echoing a falsetto note, a sturdy shield appearing in front of him. It managed to stop two more arrows, before the source called out to us.

"Whoa, nice pipes, dude! Hey, you gonna eat that deer?!"

Dan eased his shield and voice, as I looked over his shoulder. The archer began to approach, my initial hopes of it being Gavin cased aside at his American accent. A familiar American accent.

"There are more people here?" I asked, stepping around Dan, sure that he wasn't going to keep shooting.

"You're the first two I've seen in a long time." It said, approaching closer. It was male, tall, and, well, homely. He clearly was without a shave or trimmed hair for what seemed to be months. But even through the rough appearance, I could recognize him through his voice. "So as I was asking, you eatin' that?"

"Uh...yeah...first bit of food we found here." Dan said, standing up next to me.

"And let me guess, you have a group of about...four more, with a leader?" The man said.

"Well...three...one ran off..." Dan responded. "Another archer in fact..."

"'Ran off'? Shit...hope they don't get like me..." He said, tucking his bow on his back. "Were archers just destined to be lost here?"

"Sorry, but...uh...who are you?" Dan asked, the man looking over the deer for a moment.

"Just another internet face brought to fight against a bunch of other internet faces, until El Capitano ditched his whole army. Everyone else was lost, and I've been stuck here." He said, all the while hoisting the deer onto a shoulder.

"Really? How did you not forget? Isn't that what happens to us?" Dan asked, as I stepped closer to the man.

"You forget if you die here. If you're stuck here, you live on in the memory of your defeat." He said, before looking to me. He smirked at my apparent studying expression. "What's up?"

"Uh...well...since you've been stuck here for a while, I'm guessing...you know this place pretty thoroughly?"

"Yeah, but, not exactly by choice. Why?"

"Well...we are down one team mate...and you're down one army...and...I'm betting that deer would go to waste if just my team eats it."

"I'm getting what you're saying~..." he said with a chuckle. "Hell, you two seem to be a lot more connected than my army ever was. You call yourselves a team no less."

"Yeah, it's...more of a family than anything." Dan said, as I blushed slightly, him using my own words almost against me. "So, I'm guessing that's a yes?"

"Yeah, sure, why not? It'll be a lot more fun than just sticking around here going slowly insane." He said, holding out his hand to Dan. "Name's Vincent, but you can call me Vinny."

"Vinny, cool, name's Dan."

"Dan, Game Grumps and NSP Dan?"

"Yeah, man, that's me!" Dan smiled, before pointing, mouth agape. "Wait, Vinny, from Vinesauce?!"

"Yep, I am!"

They had a brief back and forth, either of how they loved each other's music or videos, all the while, I remained between the two, trying to gesture for us to get back to the group. After another moment of fanning out, I heard footsteps approaching from behind. I turned to spot Mark, combing through the woods towards us.

"Hey, you guys alright? I heard shouting and got here as fast as I could."

"Hey, Mark! Yeah, we're great, and look! We got a new team mate!"

"Really?! You mean there are others here besides us?"

"I seem to be the only one so far," Vinny said, readjusting the deer on his shoulder. "Plus, I have food. Figured we'd all split it?"

"Oh, awesome! Yeah, we have a fire going right now. Let's head back before it gets dark."

"And before this thing breaks my spine." Vinny chuckled.

We helped him with the deer, and once he introduced himself to Mark, the fanning out continued. I laughed a bit to myself. Even with the fame these guys all have, once they meet another popular personality, they become as starstruck as someone like me. It's good to see that this team was genuinely human, ups and downs galore. I only hope that the rest of the team doesn't mind the new company.

"Who the fuck is this now?!"

Goddammit, Michael.


	14. Chapter 14

**A/N: Work life blah blah blah let's get to the story.**

After managing to cool down Michael about the prospects of a new member, especially with his offering of a full deer, we each sat around the fire, the deer fashioned up above the fire on a makeshift spit. As it cooked, we asked the usual questions, though we haven't exactly had to ask anyone them, so, not so usual. We found out Vinny had been here for what felt to him like a few months. His army had the misfortune to all die before reaching their goal, leaving him alone to stay stuck through some strange loophole.

"The truth is, I don't want to fight in this," Vinny started. "Especially when I found out I was up against Joel."

"Joel?" Arin asked, poking at the deer with a stick.

"A fellow streamer on my site, and one of my good friends. Swedish bastard came at me like a crazed viking. His leader got into his head and turned him into something terrible. So, I ran. And it wasn't until I fount that no one was following me that I was left behind. My leader even said I wasn't a good choice, so," he looked back up to the deer, beginning to rip off a leg. "Here I've been."

"How could you tell how long it's been?" Mark asked as Vinny handed him the leg to send down the line. "Does time work differently here?"

"I dunno, I've just been counting the sunsets. That's all that seems to be here, all sunsets and no sunrises."

"What? How?" Dan asked, starting to eat into his share.

"Not sure, but it's true. Just wait a little while, the nights only last about a half hour, give or take. Then, the sun just appears, like magic. And it sets as fast, too."

We looked back and forth to each other, thinking he could just be blacking out without realizing it, until Mark spoke up again.

"So...you gonna join our team?"

"Hey, if it gets all of us out of here, I'm willing to cooperate. As long as...uh..." he started, looking to Michael. "...each of you are ok with it...?"

Michael huffed briefly, arms crossed, looking away. "I mean, sure, you'll probably be better company than a backstabbing Brit."

"That's a yes, I think..." I said back to Vinny, though genuinely unsure of Michael's real answer.

"I think after bringing us food, we gotta repay you somehow," Arin started. "And what better way to repay you than a victory?"

"Yeah, dude, like, we're not gonna up and leave you alone." Dan said, looking back to me. "We're not about that, right, Amalia?"

"..." I froze mid-bite, swallowing hard and looking back to Vinny. "Uh, yeah, not about that."

"Amalia?" Michael asked. "That's your name?"

"...Yes?"

"Well, that's about time! We finally got a name out of you!" Arin said, nudging Dan's shoulder playfully. "What did you have to do in the woods to get that out of her?"

"Trust me, dude, you don't want to know," Dan responded jokingly. "I gotta make it up to Vinny later for the trauma."

"I'm still holding you to that, dude! The poor deer had to die with that as his last memory!"

"Wait, what are...?" I asked, looking about the conversation, until the whole of the group started laughing, even Michael. I laughed a bit as well, though unsure if I should, before Mark nudged my arm.

"This is just how we joke around, don't worry about it~" He chuckled.

"No, I know, I just...never really thought I'd ever be involved. Sure, I laugh from the outside in, while watching you guys, but never as being a part of it..." I said, looking back to the meat in my hands.

"You're fine, hey, if we meet outside after this, we can game together, how's that?" Mark said, smiling genuinely.

I was about to take him up on the offer, until the moon seemed to blink out of existence, being replaced by a bright sun. We were each startled by the sudden change, all except for Vinny.

"See! I told you guys!" He said, standing and pointing. "Isn't that insane?!"

We each stood to look. It was indeed, now, the middle of the day. All sunsets, no sunrises. As we looked to the sky, something else soon caught our attention. A deep grumbling from down the path, the tall obsidian tower seemed to groan. We stepped up the hill to get a better look, and watched as a drawbridge-like door descended from one of the walls, landing slowly, beckoning us in.

"...Well, that's new," Vinny said, scratching the back of his head. "Can't be good, either."

"They're waiting for us," Mark said, looking down the path. "We might as well get going."

"What? But we've barely even eaten!" Michael said, as Mark began gathering up his sword and shield from the ground by the fireplace.

"No time. We all want to get out of here as soon as we can, so we're getting this done. You ready to help us out, Vinny?"

"Hey, I ain't going anywhere else, not again at least," he said, harnessing his bow to his back.

Michael sighed, grabbing the last leg of the deer for himself, before going up to the rest of us. We looked about each other briefly, trying to prepare ourselves, each set of eyes on me.

"Uhm...heh, motivational speech time, huh?" I asked, looking to my dagger. "Well...clearly, I...am not gonna be as strong as the rest of you. But it doesn't mean I'm not gonna help, even with knowing that. I'm gonna back you guys up, and, well, we can't exactly afford to lose..." I looked back up to them. Awkward silence. This wasn't working. "Uh...Ok, I'm not good at this. I mean, look at me, I'm just...someone. I'm here with some of my favorite people, and I have to make sure you're all safe. I have to lead you, and though so far, my track record is iffy, I'm not gonna give up on any of you. You each have your own strengths, and it shows through more than just your weapons here. It shows through the people you are. Through who you've all become. And...I can only aspire to get half as great as any of you...but right now, our greatness needs to overcome..." I looked about each of them. Smiles, confident smiles. This was helping, and I couldn't believe I could say anything like this, but here I was, motivating my team. "And I know it will...do you?"

They each paused, seeming to take a moment in thought, before Michael grabbed for his sword from his back.

"Let's go and kick some ass!" He shouted, holding up his sword and hurrying ahead of us. Each team mate quickly joined in the shout, readying their weapons and hurrying down the path.

"Whoa, guys! Wait, we're not even at their gates yet!" I tried calling back for them, the only one remaining paused being Mark. He chuckled, patting my shoulder.

"They're all still goofballs." Mark said, watching after them. "They'll realize in a minute and slow down."

"Yeah," I smiled, looking back to him. "They still make an awesome team. Old and new."

I began to walk the path with him, until my pocket began heating up. Wincing, I reached into it and grabbed the red rectangle I received from Felix. It burned in my hand, but I couldn't let go, until the heat became red and white light, and quickly dissipated. The once completely red triangle now had a white triangle in the center.

"...What just happened?" Mark asked, looking to it as well.

"I...don't know...but...now it's...the YouTube logo?" I said, inspecting the rectangle all over.

"Yeah, but...what does it mean? What does it do?"

I tried activating it again, tapping the triangle, squeezing it, shaking it, holding it to the sun, anything. Nothing seemed to work. I shrugged, still confused, looking back to him and pocketing it again.

"I don't know...maybe it has to happen for all of them for us to find out?" I said as we started back for the slowing team. "Let's just hope the rest of ours is that easy."


	15. Chapter 15

We rejoined with out group, Michael having noticed last of the others in his excitement. Mark saw how it seemed to have only been my rectangle that 'activated', after asking about everyone else's, while I tried working out what it was. Arin looked over my shoulder to it in my hand.

"Maybe it'll do something once all of ours are the same?" he asked, pulling his out of a spare holster.

"Maybe, it might be something to symbolize coming over some challenge..."

"More challenges? Can't we just get to the tower, beat the fuck out of the leader and go home?"

"If only it was that easy," I said, pocketing it and going back to the group. "Otherwise, I don't think this would be happening at all..."

"True..." he said, following after me. "But maybe just a little something easy could do us some good..."

Once we recollected, we continued down the path, Vinny keeping a careful eye around the wilderness. The deer from earlier seemed to be uncommon, because now, there was barely a noise among the trees except for the occasional wind. No birds or anything.

"You said the days are short...how short?" I asked him, already noticing how the sun began to descend.

"Probably about three hours, give or take. Don't exactly have a way to tell time here, I'm just guessing from how long it feels...how long I've been here," he muttered at the end.

"We're getting you out of this, we promise," I said, Michael interjecting.

"Yeah, even if we die, that'll still be a way out,"

"We're not getting out of here from death," Mark said. "We're going to win. I can feel it, this time is right."

I decided against bringing up how we all forget about it after defeat, not wanting to dampen the light mood. Vinny nodded, scratching his thickened beard.

"Yeah...a lot of armies came and went so far, but...none this...connected," he said. "There's a weird sort of strength here,"

"Hey, when you're with friends, you can't lose," Danny said with a smile, getting an elbow from Arin.

"You're getting sappy again, dude, don't go losing your buff,"

"Dude, my 'buff' is more like 'puff', you know this," he chuckled, continuing forward, not noticing how Vinny came to a sudden halt, looking to his left. First person to notice was Mark, who turned around to check on him, myself following after.

"You alr-"

He held up a hand quickly to shush him, pointing out to some of the thicket. This got the attention of the rest of the group, what he heard. What we all began to hear.

Soft sobbing.

None of us wanted to be the first to approach, having caution with any other person we met. It muttered something briefly, causing Michael to stir. He stepped ahead of the group, holding his sword out.

"Get the fuck out here, asshole..."

"Michael, what the fuck?!" Danny asked in a hushed shout. He glanced at him over his shoulder only for a moment, before the shrubs by the noise began to rustle. Whatever it was tried backing away from us quickly.

"It's Gavin! Had a fucking accent, I heard it!" he growled, going up faster. "Come on!"

"I'm sorry! I'm...sorry, please!" the voice whimpered weakly, voice sounding hoarse. From this voice, I saw Mark physically gasp, before hurrying past Michael, practically shoving him out of the way.

"What are you doing?!" Michael said, holding his sword at the ready. "Fucker still has his bow!"

"It's _not_ Gavin!" he called back, already halfway through the shrub, his attention on the voice. "Hey, it's me! It's Mark, where are you, man?!"

"Mark..? I...I can't..." it said, trying to get back farther.

"Where are you, man?" Mark said, searching around. "You know your hair makes it harder to spot in this stuff!"

I jumped at his remark, grabbing my dagger quickly, holding it tight, though shakily, in my hand.

"Get your bow ready, Vinny!" I whispered, looking back to Danny. "Get ahead of us, throat clear,"

"What, why?" Vinny asked, keeping his bow in his grip as Mark went in thicker. Danny eased around us, Arin readying his pistol as I nodded to him, before looking back to Vinny.

"I know who that is...Michael,"

"I'm well past ready..." he glowered, his sword in his hands, beginning to glow with a red aura once again.

We each stood, watching for Mark to emerge. Silence fell, before we finally spotted a shield held up in front of all of us. But not Danny's. It was Mark, shield up...against us. He approached slowly, looking to us over the shield.

"Relax! I'm fine, we're fine, put everything down!" he called out, seeming to support something in his other arm.

"Mark, what was it?!" Arin called, gun still held at the ready.

"_Everything down now!_" Mark shouted again, not about to say it again. We realized after a moment he wasn't going to answer without us cooperating. Hesitantly, I looked to the others.

"Do it...I think I know what this is about..." I said, putting my dagger away. They each took a moment before putting away their own weapons, Danny stepping back to us. Michael, being last to agree, scoffed and sheathed his sword.

"Thank you...now, help me out with him..." he said, finally setting down his shield, revealing what he had found. Who he had found. Or rather, what was left of him.

He was covered in makeshift bandages fashioned out of tall grass and vines, most of it seeped in what appeared to be fresh blood. He had a limp, and his arm remained holding his side tightly, other arm wrapped around Mark, clothes torn to shreds. The man made an attempt to look up to us, as we finally saw his face. An eerie dark covered a side of his face, which appeared to slither off upon being touched by natural light, but left over a wrapped eye under blood stained, lime green hair.

"Leave him alone," Mark said, all of us realizing who he was.

"Mark..." I said, a hand over my dagger, ready to pull it at any second. "It's...It's Jack...Sean...Your adversary..."

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

None of us had any sort of medical history to attempt to help his injuries. Even the scraps of deer meat we had were cooked, so it wouldn't do much to help the swelling. The most we could do was improvise. Keep him still when we replaced the grass and vines that adhered to his wounds. Find any sort of fresh branches to splint his leg. Find the little water we could in the forest to allow him to drink from Mark's overturned shield and clean his skin. All the while, keeping a careful eye on the septic Jack. He was confirmed to be Mark's 'Mirror', as Felix explained, but...what happened? Once the sun set again, we made another fire, allowing him to rest by it, gathering whatever safe looking berries we managed to find to side the leftover deer.

"...I can't thank you enough for this..." Sean finally spoke out, Mark quickly going over to him to help him sit up and eat.

"What happened to you, man?"

"I couldn't tell you, even if I knew..." he said, coughing harshly, gripping his chest. "One minute, I'm at the tower, ready for a friendly competition, the next, I'm left out here, sore and bloodied. I thought I was left out here for dead..."

"...'Friendly competition'? What do you..." Mark finally looked back to the rest of us, dropping his head in a groan. "Come on, guys, will you calm down?"

He had only then realized all the rest of us remained standing at the other side of the fire, looking tense. Danny was the first to ease back up.

"Sorry, just...didn't think we'd be seeing an adversary this soon..." he said, sliding his gripped mace back into his holster.

"Well, do you really think he's going to do anything in this state?!" Mark asked, looking to Michael especially.

"What if the rest of them are looking for him?! We have to be ready!"

"...Mark's got a point, though, well, you both do, but Mark mainly," Arin said, sitting down at the fire. "For now, we're good...and he looks like shit. No offense, bro."

"I bet I still look better than you, though," Sean said with a weak chuckle as the rest of us eased down by the fire. "But...that's what this is, isn't it? Just a LARPing thing...that's why you're all in costume..."

"...Sean, we were all told this was a war..." Mark said, going back to his question. "Something that's been going on for a long time...with a lot of us fighting, dying and forgetting..."

"Sorry...guess you can't break character...didn't think the game was this important..."

"Sean, this isn't a game!" Arin said, leaning back slightly. "We're all stuck here, and unless we beat you and your team, we can't leave unless we die!"

"Listen to someone with personal experience on this, dude," Vinny spoke up. "What we're saying is true...whatever the hell they told you isn't what's actually going on. Fuck, that must be why Joel was so alright with it...why they all are!"

"No wonder Ryan wanted Gavin back, they were down one adversary..." Michael muttered. I was about to smack his arm, before Sean looked around in fear.

"Ryan? He's not here, is he?! Oh fuck, I was supposed to help him with another part of the game today...he'll have my head for this, I know it!" he whined, trying to stand, yelling in pain once he put weight on his splinted leg. Mark stood immediately to help him.

"You're not going anywhere," he said firmly, easing him back down once again. "We're going to make sure you're fully recovered before you even think about moving again,"

"Great, this just slowed us down by a millennia..." Michael muttered, before the sun once again reappeared without a sunrise.

"Well, a millennia minus one day," Vinny said, looking back up to the sun.

"Look...if I'm going to slow you guys down, just...go on ahead..." Sean said, holding a hand to his bandaged eye.

"Absolutely,"

"Not." Mark interrupted Michael's finished thought, sitting him back down. "I'm not leaving a friend."

"Mark. _Enemy._ Move." Michael said with a few gestures, only getting a scowl from Mark.

"We've been friends longer than enemies, Michael, I'm not about to throw that all away for this ridiculous war. It might be easier for some of us to leave..." he said, looking away. "...but it's impossible for me...I'm not like Gavin...and I know you're not, either..."

Michael paused, fist formed briefly, before running a hand in his hair.

"I know...I get it, you're close...and fuck, whatever it was they did to him clearly means they don't need him anymore, I guess...time clearly isn't the same here...and maybe you'll feel better faster, and we can get this all said and done...just...maybe make the getting better thing snappy?"

"I'm trying, Michael...I miss my voice..." he chuckled, admittedly being rendered quieter than his normally loud self.

"But wouldn't it be at least a good idea to split up in groups? To at least get a head start on them?" Arin asked, trying to come up with a solution Michael and Mark could agree to.

"Not sure that would be safe," Vinny said. "Broken up, we'd only have half the strength as together if something bad were to happen..."

"If we have to wait, we have to wait. That's all there is to it..." Mark finished, holding around Sean's shoulders firmly, before gasping at a burn at his hip. He reached in to pull out his red rectangle, as it proceeded to do the same thing mine had. Heated up with a bright light, before receding back into it, leaving a white triangle in the center.

"Whoa..." Danny said in surprise, the rest of them not seeing this from before with mine. "What happened?"

"Looks like mine did the same thing as hers..." he said, looking back to me.

"Yeah, but...why?" I asked, pulling mine out as well.

"Isn't it obvious by now?" The familiar, constantly advising voice of Felix softly called through both of them. "These are your Notifiers. My way of giving you aid while not being able to physically contact you. But only after your true strength is revealed, hence why only you two can hear me~"

We looked to each other, before noticing...we were the only two on the path. Mark stood and frantically searched for Sean, before Felix spoke again.

"Relax, Mark, he's fine, this is simply a State of Mind, somewhere where we can secretly talk. Your bodies are frozen, your minds are active. Private messaging in a sense.

"So...you talk to us through these like personal walkie talkies...is that it?" I asked.

"Oh, no, far from it. I can also send you little gifts, as a supporter~" he said, before Mark's triangle glowed brightly, seeming to project something from itself. A small bottle took form, and Mark grabbed it before it landed on the ground. He observed it, turning it around a few times, seeing no label or notes of any sort.

"What is this?" he asked finally, looking to the green liquid that began to fill in it out of nowhere.

"A Pardon. A vital drink in this world. A Pardon brings back one person from near death, as long as they consume it entirely. It can only be used once, so use it wisely."

"Send me back, now!" Mark said, looking up.

"Whoa, whoa, bro, chill! I know you'd like to help Sean, but you do know what might happen if you do...not only might he return to the other team, but when you need it in a bind, you won't have another,"

We looked to each other for a moment, before I decided for us. I had to use my Captain rank for some good, right?

"...Send us back...We thank you for this gift, Felix, and...we will use it responsibly..." I said, Mark looking away, seeming devastated.

"Understood...I'll speak to you again soon..." he said, before the others reappeared among us, jumping at how we each had suddenly stood up. They were completely unaware of our conversation in their frozen states, even Sean fell back without Mark's support anymore.

"Ah, fuck!" he winced, trying to sit back up. I hurried to him, ignoring Arin and Michael questioning what the fuck just happened as I helped him sit back up.

"You ok, Jack?" I asked, being one to call him by his Youtuber name more than his real name.

"Yeah...that just shocked me...how'd you do that?!" he asked painfully.

"Don't worry about that..." I said, before looking to Mark, smiling a bit. "Just open wide, ok?"

"_What_?!"

Mark looked back to me, smiling wide once he realized what I meant. He knelt down and quickly grabbed the bottle, Danny looking over curiously, followed by the others. I noticed after a moment, as I tried to keep Sean's head still.

"Felix gave it to us just now, said it could help him," I said, trying to stay as vague as I could. "I'll explain more later, just trust us."

They looked over silently as Mark helped Sean drink the contents of the bottle. He pulled away and groaned at the taste briefly. Loudly.

"What the fuck is that stuff?!"

"Ey! There's my Jackaboy!" Mark laughed, greatly relieved. "Gotta finish it, though it seems to already have helped you,"

"Can't I at least eat somethin' first?!"

"Yeah...yeah...as long as you drink that down, you're fine..." Mark said, trying to hide a quick sniffle, holding back joyful tears. I smiled and looked back to the others, Vinny tilting his head.

"Well...that's a little 'ex-machina'-ish...sort of just revived him real quick there,"

"Yeah, he should be much better soon. Felix told us through these," I said, holding my device up. "Seems to be able to stop time for a bit and send us stuff, too, but only when they have the triangle on it,"

"...We could have saved that, you know..." Michael said, arms crossed.

"I...I know...but we're a strong enough team, maybe we won't need to worry..."

Michael remained silent, looking away.

"At the very least, it doesn't look like he's any interested in going back to them," Danny said, looking to Sean. "After being beaten to a pulp, and lied to, I wouldn't want to go back either,"

"So...new team mate then?" Arin asked out loud enough to be heard.

Sean looked to him after accepting Mark's share of the leftover deer.

"Uhm...I do know you guys a lot better than the other team, at least, you two and Mark," he said, gesturing the Grumps. "And their side sucked, their rules were weird and they kept acting like this was the biggest thing in the world..." he said, still unaware that this wasn't anymore than a game. "So...yeah, I'll hang out with you guys, I don't see why not,"

"See? I told you guys, we're friends. He's cool, I promise." Mark said, looking to each of them, especially Michael, who stayed tensely silent.

Sean was much more talkative as he ate and continued drinking the medicine. He talked about how he missed being able to record, how he lost his hat, how he started talking to himself a bit, and how he wished he could at least sleep for once. All of which being an issue brought on by the adversaries. In time, the medicine took full effect, though he kept the binds over his eye, even after removing the rest of his wrappings. Said it made him look cooler, even with no reflection to check. And as the sun set, then reappeared once more, he managed to stand up easily on his own without support. Once again, with more help, we began down the path again. This was great. We have so much of an upper hand now! This battle was going to be a cake walk.

Now, if only Michael would speak to us again.


End file.
